Long-headed wasps

Long-headed wasps
Middle wasp ( Dolichovespula media )
Systematics
Order : Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera) Subordination : Waist Wasps (Apocrita) Superfamily : Vespoidea Family : Wasps (Vespidae) Subfamily : Real wasps (Vespinae) Genre : Long-headed wasps
Scientific name
Dolichovespula
Rohwer , 1916

The long-headed wasps ( Dolichovespula ) are a genus within the family of the wasps (Vespidae). Their species count, next to the similar short head wasps ( Vespula ) and the hornets ( Vespa ) to the real wasps (Vespinae).

features

The “cheeks” typical of long-headed wasps between the lower edge of the eye and the base of the mandibles using the example of the Saxon wasp ( Dolichovespula saxonica ).

From the short-headed wasps ( Vespula ) and the hornets ( Vespa ), the genus distinguishes a yellow, in North American species also white, longitudinal line running on both sides of the prothorax , which begins directly behind the head. However, this feature is sometimes not developed, which is why only its presence enables a clear delimitation.

An essential distinguishing feature of the long-headed wasps from the similar short-headed wasps is a more pronounced distance between the lower edge of the eye and the base of the mandibles , which results in a stretching of the head capsule (clearly pronounced genes or cheeks).

The genus includes relatively peaceful species, whose peoples develop relatively quickly.

distribution

18 species are known worldwide that are distributed in the Holarctic and Oriental regions. Six species, such as the white - drawn bald-faced wasp ( Dolichovespula maculata ), are found in North America, there are seven in Europe, six of which are native to Central Europe.

Species (Europe)

• False cuckoo wasp ( Dolichovespula adulterina (du Buysson, 1905))
• Middle wasp ( Dolichovespula media (Retzius, 1783))
• Norwegian wasp ( Dolichovespula norwegica (Fabricius, 1781))
• Forest cuckoo wasp ( Dolichovespula omissa (Bischoff, 1931))
• Saxon wasp ( Dolichovespula saxonica (Fabricius, 1793))
• Wood wasp ( Dolichovespula sylvestris (Scopoli, 1763))
• Dolichovespula pacifica (Birula, 1930) ( syn.Dolichovespula loekenae Eck, 1980) only Northern Europe (Scandinavia).

Web links

Commons : Long-headed Wasps ( Dolichovespula )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Bugguide: Yellowjackets & Hornets through a lens (English)

literature

• Heiko Bellmann : bees, wasps, ants. Hymenoptera of Central Europe . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-440-09690-4 .
• Rolf Witt: Wasps. Observe, determine. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-89440-243-1 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Matthias Buck, Stephen A. Marshall, David KB Cheung: Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the northeastern Nearctic region. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification No. 5, February 2008, p. 492ff. online: [1]
2. ^ Dolichovespula Rohwer 1916. Fauna Europaea, accessed on August 20, 2009 . 
3. ^ Rolf Witt: Wasps. Observe, determine. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-89440-243-1 .