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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 » Vespidae » Paper Wasps (Polistinae) » Umbrella Paper Wasps (Polistes) » Subgenus Aphanilopterus (Polistes Subgenus Aphanilopterus) » Comanche Paper Wasp (Polistes comanchus) » Polistes comanchus comanchus
Photo#1179070
Wasp with Black Back from Davis Mountains TX High Desert - Polistes comanchus - male
Copyright © 2016 Dick Locke

Wasp with Black Back from Davis Mountains TX High Desert - Polistes comanchus - Male
Near Fort Davis/Alpine area in Texas, Texas, USA
September 10, 2015
This looks like it may be different from the Polistes aurifer. It was one of a group of wasps (which I think were Polistes dorsalis) going for a cactus. I think the red on it's back is part of the cactus and not a mark.
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Contributed by Dick Locke on 3 January, 2016 - 11:41am
Last updated 3 January, 2016 - 5:43pm

Excellent find!
First image of a male of this subspecies on Bugguide! Please keep sharing your images!
… Matthias Buck, 3 January, 2016 - 5:44pm login or register to post comments

 
Cool to be first male, thanks
Thank you Matthias for the info ad encouragement. I still have many macro pictures to review from my West Texas and Hill Country vacations and will post anything good that I find.

For this image, there were many many wasps going for the cactus but I noticed this one had different makings and tried to focus on him as the most interesting of the bunch.
… Dick Locke, 3 January, 2016 - 9:46pm login or register to post comments

 
Polistes comanchus
This is one of my favorite Polistes: a stunning beauty! I can also confirm that the wasp on the lower left is P. dorsalis.
… Matthias Buck, 3 January, 2016 - 10:21pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Polistes.
… Matthias Buck, 3 January, 2016 - 5:42pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 3 January, 2016 - 11:48am login or register to post comments

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