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For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Species Polistes aurifer - Golden Paper Wasp

Representative Images

Wasp - Polistes aurifer - male Polistes - Polistes aurifer Polistes sp - Polistes aurifer Wasp - Polistes aurifer - female Golden Paper Wasp - Polistes aurifer Golden Paper Wasp - Polistes aurifer Polistes - Polistes aurifer - female Polistes? - Polistes aurifer - 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
Subfamily Polistinae (Paper Wasps)
Genus Polistes (Umbrella Paper Wasps)
No Taxon (Subgenus Fuscopolistes)
Species aurifer (Golden Paper Wasp)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Sometimes considered a subspecies of P. fuscatus: Polistes fuscatus aurifer

Explanation of Names

Polistes aurifer Saussure 1853
aurifer = 'gold-bearer' (refers to the color scheme)

Range

A western species (BC-CA to AB-MT-w.TX; ne. Mexico) with one adventitious record from Prince Edward Island, Canada; introduced in Hawaii and Society Is.(1)

Internet References

Species page(1)

Works Cited

1.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].
Contributed by tom murray on 21 July, 2005 - 3:50pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Matthias Buck, Chuck Entz, v belov, PaleoJon, Nathaniel Green
Last updated 3 September, 2021 - 1:55pm

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