Polistes major major Palisot de Beauvois

Genaro, Julio A., 2011, Vespidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) of Puerto Rico, West Indies, Insecta Mundi 2011 (202), pp. 1-35 : 18

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5161518

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BA87A7-FFA3-FFB0-FF05-FC0AE773F92C

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Polistes major major Palisot de Beauvois
status

 

Polistes major major Palisot de Beauvois View in CoL

Polistes major Palisot de Beauvois, 1818: 206 View in CoL , pl. VIII fig. 1 - “Sainte-Domingue” (type depository un� known). - Wolcott 1936: 567 , fig.; 1941: 155. - Ramos 1946: 68 (Mona). - Wolcott 1951: 864 . - García Tudurí et al. 1974: 130 (Desecheo). � Medina Gaud and Martorell 1974: 270 (Caja de Muertos).

Polistes carnifex View in CoL ; Ashmead 1900: 311. Misidentification.

Polistes major var. major View in CoL ; Bequaert 1937: 174.

Polistes major View in CoL var. (or subsp) bakeri Bequaert, 1940: 15, male, female � U. S. A.: “San Antonio, Bexar Co., TEXAS ” (MCZH). – Snelling 1974: 477 (syn. of P. major Palisot de Beauvois View in CoL ).

Polistes major major View in CoL ; Bohart 1951: 879.

Polistes major bakeri View in CoL ; Bohart 1951: 879.

This species was described from Hispaniola, and is widespread in mainland America. It has been considered to have been introduced into Puerto Rico ( Bequaert 1936), as the first collecting record dates from 1930, after the hurricane of 1928 that was suggested to have brought it to Puerto Rico, as well as to Mona, where the first collecting record dates from 1939 ( Wolcott 1951 ). Wolcott (1951: 864) stated: “It now occurs in all parts of Puerto Rico, but is not especially abundant” which is the case today (pers. obs. of the junior author). It is mentioned in the list for Mona by Ramos (1946) but not the later list by Torres and Snelling (1992), and the junior author did not observe the species on two trips to Mona, in 2000 and 2007. However, given our discovery of two undescribed endemic species of Vespidae View in CoL , and confirmation of the occurrence of another species that is otherwise widespread in the Lesser Antilles, we must question the premise underlying the suggestion that the species is introduced, namely that previous collecting was really sufficient to establish absence. It could have been present all along, rare perhaps but in any case overlooked. We also think that the speculation that this species was blown in on the wind should be set aside.

Wolcott (1941, 1951) gave some details about nesting and prey. There is otherwise rather little published on the biology of this widespread species (e. g. Rau 1940, 1943).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Eumenidae

Genus

Polistes

Loc

Polistes major major Palisot de Beauvois

Genaro, Julio A. 2011
2011
Loc

Polistes major major

Bohart, R. M. 1951: 879
1951
Loc

Polistes major bakeri

Bohart, R. M. 1951: 879
1951
Loc

Polistes major

Snelling, R. R. 1974: 477
Bequaert, J. C. 1940: 15
1940
Loc

Polistes major var. major

Bequaert, J. C. 1937: 174
1937
Loc

Polistes major

Garcia Tuduri, J. C. & S. Medina Gaud & L. F. Martorell 1974: 130
Medina Gaud, S. & L. F. Martorell 1974: 270
Wolcott, G. N. 1951: 864
Ramos, J. A. 1946: 68
Wolcott, G. N. 1936: 567
1936
Loc

Polistes carnifex

Ashmead, W. H. 1900: 311
1900
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