Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Subfamily Polistinae - Paper Wasps

Vespidae - Polistes dominula  Northern Paper Wasp - Polistes fuscatus - female Awesome Abdomen - Polistes fuscatus - male Wasp - Polistes metricus wasp - Polistes comanchus  paper wasp - Polistes metricus Male, Polistes? - Polistes canadensis - male Possible Golden Paper Wasp - 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)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Polybiinae auct. nec Ortmann 1893
Explanation of Names
Polistinae Lepeletier 1835
Numbers
30 spp. in 4 genera and 3 tribes in our area; 26 genera in 4 tribes total
in our area:
Tribe Epiponini Brachygastra (1 sp.) ∙ Polybia (2 rare spp., s.AZ & TX)
Tribe Mischocyttarini Mischocyttarus (3 spp.)
Tribe Polistini Polistes (24 spp.)
Range
worldwide