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Sulcopolistes atrimandibularis , Social Parasite and Predator of an Alpine Polistes (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) 1
Author(s) -
Cervo Rita,
Lorenzi Maria Cristina,
Turillazzi Stefano
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1990.tb00419.x
Subject(s) - vespidae , polistes , nest (protein structural motif) , biology , paper wasp , obligate , brood , ecology , hymenoptera , host (biology) , zoology , brood parasite , obligate parasite , parasitism , biochemistry
Sulcopolistes atrimandibularis Zimmermann is the obligate social parasite of Polistes biglumis bimaculatus Geoffry in Furcroy, a mountain species of paper wasp. Unlike all the other hymenopteran social parasites, the Sulcopolistes female obtains part of the food for her immature brood by plundering other nests of the host species. Parasite females can control more than one host nest: one of them (the nursery nest) she uses solely for reproduction purposes (from which the Sulcopolistes reproductives emerge) and others (supply nests) are used for exploiting the Polistes brood content. It is possible that this behaviour is an adaptation to the extremely short colonial cycle of the host.