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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Hornets, Yellowjackets; Paper, Potter, Mason, and Pollen Wasps; and Allies (Vespidae) » Paper Wasps (Polistinae) » Umbrella Paper Wasps (Polistes) » Subgenus Fuscopolistes (Polistes Subgenus Fuscopolistes) » Northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus)
Photo#492518
Polistes? - Polistes fuscatus
Copyright © 2011 Gary R. McClellan

Polistes? - Polistes fuscatus
Sarasota County, Florida, USA
February 6, 2011
Size: 1 in.

Images of this individual: tag all
Polistes? - Polistes fuscatus Polistes? - Polistes fuscatus
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Contributed by Gary R. McClellan on 21 February, 2011 - 3:32pm
Last updated 21 January, 2013 - 3:52pm

Moved
Moved from Polistes.
… Matthias Buck, 21 January, 2013 - 3:52pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Vespula Vulgaris, 27 February, 2011 - 10:58am login or register to post comments

Hmm...
I've seen other types of wasps and bees in this kind of position before. What I've seen is that they're usually killed by a fungus, like Cordyceps or others. They either have just the mandibles locked in, or they have their legs wrapped around an object and the mandibles in.

The coating on the joints, antennae and rest of the head lead me to this conclusion.
… Cassie Novak, 21 February, 2011 - 4:11pm login or register to post comments

 
Hmm...
I was wondering what it might have died from. Interesting, I've never seen this before. Thank you for the response.
… Gary R. McClellan, 21 February, 2011 - 4:29pm login or register to post comments

 
It does
It does seem like there is fungus exploding from various articulations between segments (such as tibia with tarsus).
… Brendon E. Boudinot, 26 February, 2011 - 1:55am login or register to post comments

 
Interesting
The only other image we have of a fungus-killed Polistes is also from Sarasota County, FL.

That one has obvious Cordyceps-type fruiting bodies. I don't know if this could be an earlier stage of the same thing, or something entirely different.
… Charley Eiseman, 29 March, 2011 - 4:35pm login or register to post comments

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