• Source: Polistes major

Polistes major is a Neotropical species of paper wasp found from South America north into the southern United States. This species is known as avispa de caballo (Spanish: "horse wasp") in the Dominican Republic.




Subspecies


There are five described subspecies:

Polistes major bonaccensis Bequaert, 1937
Polistes major castaneicolor Bequaert, 1936
Polistes major colombianus Bequaert, 1940
Polistes major major Palisot de Beauvois, 1818
Polistes major weyrauchi Bequaert, 1940




Description


Polistes major is a larger species compared to allies within its genus, reaching 17 to 22 mm (0.67 to 0.87 in) in length, with a wingspan of up to 45 mm (1.8 in). It is second in size only to P. carnifex. The coloration varies by subspecies, though the most widespread subspecies, P. m. major, has a reddish-brown ground color with broad yellow stripes. In contrast, the subspecies P. m. castaneicolor and P. m. weyrauchi are entirely reddish with no yellow markings.




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Polistes major
• Polistes major major
• Polistes
• Polistes major castaneicolor
• Polistes carnifex
• Paper wasp
• Polistes fuscatus
• Polistes humilis
• Polistes annularis
• European paper wasp