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Species Polistes bahamensis - Bahamian Paper Wasp

Paper Wasp - Polistes bahamensis Polistes sp. ? - Polistes bahamensis Polistes ID request - Polistes bahamensis Pollistes sp. - Polistes bahamensis Paper Wasps - Polistes bahamensis Paper Wasps - Polistes bahamensis Polistes bahamensis - female Polistes bahamensis
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Vespoidea
Family Vespidae (Hornets, Yellowjackets; Paper, Potter, Mason, and Pollen Wasps; and Allies)
Subfamily Polistinae (Paper Wasps)
Genus Polistes (Umbrella Paper Wasps)
No Taxon (Subgenus Aphanilopterus)
Species bahamensis (Bahamian Paper Wasp)
Identification
As typical of members of the subgenus Polistes (Aphanilopterus), the first metasomal segment is slender and slightly elongate, and the antennae are dark with contrasting orange tips. The species has a yellow spot on the mesopleuron, typically yellow apical band of the tergum, and developed yellow markings on the mesosoma. It is most similar in coloration to P. exclamans, which also occurs in Florida. While P. bahamensis have less developed yellow markings than typical of P. exclamans including on the metasoma, the populace of P. exclamans occurring in Florida can also have less developed yellow markings. The most reliable trait for separating the two is that females of P. bahamensis have entirely black fore coxae (versus yellow-marked or at least ferruginous in P. exclamans).
Range
Besides the Bahamas, P. bahamensis is known from FL, GA, and LA, and AL, NC, and SC were added from 2017 to 2023 iNaturalist records.
Remarks