Overview
Insect. Common wasps nest underground and in cavities in trees and buildings. In addition to causing painful stings to humans, they compete with birds and other insects for insect prey and sugar sources. They will also eat fruit crops and scavenge around rubbish bins and picnic sites.
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Common Wasp, Ground Beetle
Description
Physical Description
Species Acupalpus pauperculus
Distinguishing marks on workers include a black mark behind the eye on the side of the head ; an anchor-shaped or dagger-shaped mark on the "face"; yellow pronotal bands which are almost parallel; and black dots and rings on the abdomen which are usually fused. Males can only be reliably distinguished by examining the aedeagus (part of the genitals) under a microscope.
Habitat
Biome: natural forest , planted forests, scrub/shrublands, urban areas
Ecology: Impact in a range of sectors including conservation , forestry, beekeeping, horticulture , and human-health.
Biology
Reproduction
Sexual. Males and queens produced
in late autumn. Fertilised queens
overwinter
, and then start a new colony
in early spring
. She produces
sterile
females, called workers, throughout the season
.c. 1000-2000
queens produced per colony in autumn. Average colony density in New
Zealand beech forest
c.
12 per ha.
Annual
colonies initiated in spring by one queen. Colony expands
through season and then produces sexual stages in autumn, before
colony breaks down
. In each cell
of a new nest
, the queen lays
a
single egg
, which hatches into a larvae in 5 to 8 days. After five
moults over about 90 days (the length
of time spent in each stage
is determined by environmental conditions
), each larva spins a silken
cap over the cell and pupates. After about 80 days an adult
worker
wasp emerges
.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
()
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
()
- Latreille, 1829
- Arthropods
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
()
- Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
()
- Heymons, 1901
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
()
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
()
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
()
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
()
- Order:
Coleoptera
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Suborder:
Adephaga
()
- Schellenberg, 1806
- Family:
Carabidae
()
- Subfamily:
Stenolophinae
()
- Genus:
Acupalpus
()
- Latreille, 1829
- Specific name:
pauperculus
- Dejean
- Scientific name: - Acupalpus pauperculus Dejean
- Specific name:
pauperculus
- Dejean
- Genus:
Acupalpus
(
- Subfamily:
Stenolophinae
(
- Family:
Carabidae
(
- Suborder:
Adephaga
(
- Order:
Coleoptera
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 24-Jun-1996
Similar Species
Members of the genus Acupalpus
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 8 species and subspecies in this genus:
A. canadensis (Ground Beetle) · A. carus (Ground Beetle) · A. indistinctus (Ground Beetle) · A. nanellus (Ground Beetle) · A. partiarius (Ground Beetle) · A. pauperculus (Common Wasp) · A. pumilus (Ground Beetle) · A. testaceus (Ground Beetle)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- ... List of the Coleoptera of North America. Prepared for the Smithsonian institution. By John L. Le Conte, M.D. Part I Washington, Smithsonian institution, 1863 url p. 13.
- Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- url p. 147.
- Memoirs on the coleoptera / by Thomas L. Casey. Lancaster, Pa.: New Era Printing Co., 1910-1924. url p. 288.
- Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Washington, etc.: Entomological Society of Washington url p. 473.
- The complete writings of Thomas Say on the entomology of North America / edited by John L. Le Conte. Philadelphia: A. E. Foote, 1891. url p. 505.
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
- Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2607472
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-111114
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 111114
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IICO194373
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 17545
