Polybia sericea is a social, tropical wasp[1] of the family Vespidae that can be found in South America.[2] It founds its colonies by swarming migrations, and feeds on nectar[3] and arthropods.[1]
P. sericea is medium in size, and has a dark-colored body.[4] The wasps build multitiered nests, and colony size can vary greatly between a few to a few thousand workers.[2] Queens can be distinguished from workers by their greater body size and smaller head size.[2] They tend to be polygynous, meaning that several egg-laying queens are within a nest, with the result that workers are generally less related to each other than in other eusocial species.[5] Workers are responsible for hunting and foraging, while queens are responsible for laying eggs, and have the most developed ovaries. When hunting for prey, workers rely heavily on visual and olfactory cues.[1] Prey include arthropods such as green and brown caterpillars.
^ abcRichter, M.A. Raveret; R.L. Jeanne (1985). "Predatory Behavior of Polybia sericea (Olivier), a tropical wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 16 (2): 165–170. doi:10.1007/BF00295151. Olfactory cues were more likely to elicit landing than were visual cues.
^ abcDesuó, IC; CB Souza-Galheico (2011). "An Adaptive View of Caste Differentiation in the Neotropical Wasp Polybia (Trichothorax) sericea Olivier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)". Neotropical Entomology. 40 (6): 653–660. doi:10.1590/S1519-566X2011000600004. hdl:11449/26723.
^Bichara Filho, Carlos C.; Gilberto M. de M. Santos (2010). "Foraging Behavior of the Swarm Founding Wasp Polybia (Trichothorax) sericea (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): Daily Resource Collection Activity and Flight Capacity" (PDF). Sociobiology. Retrieved 2014-10-03.
^Jeanne, Robert L. (1981). "Chemical Communication During Swarm Emigration in the Social Wasp Polybia sericea (Olivier)". Animal Behaviour. 29: 102–113. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(81)80157-1.
^Queller, David C.; Joan E. Strassman (1988). "Genetic Relatedness in Colonies of Tropical Wasps with Multiple Queens". Science. 242 (4882): 1155–1157. doi:10.1126/science.242.4882.1155. PMID 17799732.
Polybiasericea is a social, tropical wasp of the family Vespidae that can be found in South America. It founds its colonies by swarming migrations, and...
Polybia rejecta is a species of social wasp found in the Neotropics region of the world. It was discovered by Fabricius in South America in the 1790s...
between the two sites, thus enhancing their methods of communication. Polybiasericea is another species that moves between nest sites using pheromones....
smell is essential for hunting in many species of wasps, including Polybiasericea. The two organs insects primarily use for detecting odors are the antennae...
the scented chemicals. Another species that shows this behavior is Polybiasericea. S. surinama wasps individually follow the scent trail laid out by...
to mark and maintain foraging paths. When species of wasps such as Polybiasericea found new nests, they use pheromones to lead the rest of the colony...
species of insects, such as the moth Deilephila elpenor and the wasp Polybiasericea, respectively. The two organs insects primarily use for detecting odors...
Parachartergus P. colobopterus Genus Polybia P. dimidiata P. emaciata P. occidentalis P. scutellaris P. sericea Genus Synoeca S. chalibea (often misspelled...
worker females. Caste differentiation is very similar in the species Polybiasericea. It has been observed that Protopolybia chartergoides nests are transparent...
other species of wasp including Polistes versicolor, Polybia paulista, Polybia occidentalis, Polybia scutellaris, and Protonectarina sylveirae. B. lecheguana...
Global Information
