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Family Vespidae - Hornets, Yellowjackets; Paper, Potter, Mason, and Pollen Wasps; and Allies

Bald-faced Hornet - Dolichovespula maculata Trials of Life - Parazumia symmorpha - female Vespidae: Polistes fuscatus? - Polistes fuscatus - female wasp sp - Ancistrocerus campestris Pseudomasaris? - Pseudomasaris edwardsii Mischocyttarus navajo - female Metric Paper Wasp - Polistes metricus - male Yellow Jacket?? - Vespula sulphurea - female
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)
Pronunciation
Typically VESS-pə-dē. In contrast to typical pronunciations, the pronunciation as in Latin instead would be wɛs pɪ dae̯ or wes pɪ dae̯ (wehs pee die or ways pee die).
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Polybiinae recently merged with Polistinae, with some of the tribes rearranged
Explanation of Names
Vespidae Latreille, 1802
Numbers
~300 spp. in 36 genera in our area; ~5,000 spp. in ~270 genera total(1)

Overview of our fauna (* –taxa not yet in the guide)
Family Vespidae
Subfamily Polistinae Brachygastra · Mischocyttarus · Polistes · Polybia*
Identification
Legs of normal length, not as long as in Pompilidae
Wings folded longitudinally at rest; first discoidal cell of FW greater than half the wing length
Inner margin of eye usually notched
Pronotum extending back to the tegulae and thus appearing triangular in lateral view and horseshoe-shaped from above
Keys to northeastern spp. in(2), to CA spp. in(3)
Range
Worldwide
Food
The Masarinae are phytophagus. Like bees, they collect pollen and nectar for their young.
The Eumeninae and Euparagiinae are predators which collect specific prey to provision their nests.
The Polistinae and Vespinae are generalist predators, but often collect caterpillars. They collect various arthropods and carrion to feed their young.
Life Cycle
Eumeninae, Euparagiinae, and Masarinae are solitary.
Polistinae and Vespinae are all eusocial species.
Stenogastrinae (Only found in SE Asia) contains solitary and social species.
Remarks
The social vespids can be distinguished from the nonsocial forms by the presence of a cutting or chewing surface near the apex of the mandible rather than along the inner margin.

List of non-native Vespidae:
European Tube Wasp, Ancistrocerus gazella. From Europe, before 1961
No common name, Ancistrocerus parietum. From Europe
Okinawa Mud Wasp, Delta esuriens. From Asia. 2018
No common name, Delta higletti rendalli. From Africa, probably via Jamaica, 1980s
European Paper Wasp, Polistes dominula. From Eurasia, 1980s or earlier
European Hornet, Vespa crabro. From Eurasia, 1800s
German Yellowjacket, Vespula germanica. From Europe
Asian Giant Hornet, Vespa mandarinia. From Southeast Asia, 2020
No common name, Zeta argillaceum. From Central and S America
See Also
Some Crabronidae have a similar appearance.
Works Cited
1.Order Hymenoptera. In: Zhang Z-Q (ed) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classif. and survey of taxonomic richness
Aguiar AP, Deans AR, Engel MS, Forshage M, Huber JT, Jennings JT, Johnson NF, Lelej AS, Longino JT, Lohrmann V, Mikó I, Ohl M. 2013. Zootaxa 3703: 51–62.
2.Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the Northeastern Nearctic Region
Matthias Buck, Stephen A. Marshall, and David K. B. Cheung. 2008. Biological Survey of Canada [Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification].
3.The social wasps of California (Vespinae, Polistinae, Polybiinae)
Bohart R.M., Bechtel R.C. 1957. Bull. U.C. Insect Survey 4: 73-101.