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James M Carpenter - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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FURTHER TAXONOMIC NOTES ON VESPINAE (HYMENOPTERA: VESPIDAE)
Entomologica Americana, 2021Co-Authors: James M CarpenterAbstract:Lectotypes are designated for two species of Vespinae: DolichoVespula arctica (Rohwer) and Vespula intermedia (du Buysson). DolichoVespula albida (Sladen) is diagnostically distinct from D. norwegica (Fabricius), therefore it is a distinct phylogenetic species. This is also the case for Vespula intermedia versus V. rufa (Linnaeus).
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Phylogenomic analysis of yellowjackets and hornets (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Vespinae).
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2016Co-Authors: Federico Lopez-osorio, Kurt M Pickett, James M Carpenter, Bryan A. Ballif, Ingi AgnarssonAbstract:The phylogenetic relationships among genera of the subfamily Vespinae (yellowjackets and hornets) remain unclear. Yellowjackets and hornets constitute one of the only two lineages of highly eusocial wasps, and the distribution of key behavioral traits correlates closely with the current classification of the group. The potential of the Vespinae to elucidate the evolution of social life, however, remains limited due to ambiguous genus-level relationships. Here, we address the relationships among genera within the Vespinae using transcriptomic (RNA-seq) data. We sequenced the transcriptomes of six vespid wasps, including three of the four genera recognized in the Vespinae, combined our data with publicly available transcriptomes, and assembled two matrices comprising 1,507 and 3,356 putative single-copy genes. The results of our phylogenomic analyses recover DolichoVespula as more closely related to Vespa than to Vespula, therefore challenging the prevailing hypothesis of yellowjacket (Vespula+DolichoVespula) monophyly. This suggests that traits such as large colony size and high paternity arose in the genus Vespula following its early divergence from the remaining vespine genera.
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Taxonomic notes on Vespinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)
Entomologica Americana, 2015Co-Authors: James M Carpenter, Jun-ichi Kojima, Libor Dvořák, Adrien PerrardAbstract:Abstract Taxonomic notes are provided for several taxa of Vespinae. Vespula austriaca (Panzer, 1799) and Vespula infernalis (de Saussure, 1854) can be distinguished by the sculpturing on the frons in the queen. Vespula yunlongensis Dong and Wang, 2003, is a synonym of V. flaviceps (Smith, 1870), NEW SYNONYMY, while V. yulongensis Dong and Wang, 2002, is not a synonym of that species, but of V. rufa (Linnaeus, 1758), NEW SYNONYMY. The type of Vespa peruana de Saussure, 1867, has been found in Geneva, and the species is confirmed as a synonym of DolichoVespula norwegica (Fabricius, 1781). Vespula shinanoensis Takamizawa, 2005, is a nomen nudum.
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The Vespinae of North America (Vespidae, Hymenoptera)
Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 2012Co-Authors: Lynn S. Kimsey, James M CarpenterAbstract:The species of paper wasps in the tribe Vespini, family Vespidae from America North of Mexico are reviewed, including a new identification key to the genera and species, complete synonymy, distribution and biology. This fauna includes six species of DolichoVespula Rohwer, three species of Vespa Linnaeus and 13 species of Vespula Thomson. No Holarctic species are recognized, with the result that DolichoVespula arctica (Rohwer) and Vespula intermedia (du Buysson) are again recognized as species, while Vespula infernalis (de Saussure) is given new status as a species.
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primer registro de Vespula vulgaris hymenoptera vespidae en la argentina
Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina, 2010Co-Authors: Maite Masciocchi, Jacqueline R Beggs, James M Carpenter, Juan C CorleyAbstract: Abstract. Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus) is a social vespid native to the Holarctic region. The first detection of this species in Argentina is here reported. Workers were captured close to San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) during February 2010, while sampling for another successful invader, the German wasp or Yellowjacket, Vespula germanica (Fabricius). Both these wasp species are very similar morphologically and share a number of common habits. Also, some identification features and biological characters are here explained.
Tom Wenseleers - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Hydrocarbon Signatures of the Ectoparasitoid Sphecophaga vesparum Shows Wasp Host Dependency.
Insects, 2020Co-Authors: Robert L. Brown, Ian Stevens, Tom WenseleersAbstract:Sphecophaga vesparum often parasitizes nests of vespid wasps such as Vespula vulgaris and Vespula germanica. Inside the colonies, the ectoparasitic larvae feed on the immature forms of the wasps. There are two adult forms of S. vesparum. The large, winged adults emerge from either rigid yellow cocoons or the orange cocoons used for overwintering. The small, brachypterous females emerge from soft, white cocoons. The species is facultative deuterotokous, producing mostly parthenogenic females and infrequently producing males. Here, we describe the production of chemical compounds related to the different developmental forms of the parasitoid S. vesparum (larvae, pupae and adults). We also compare the chemical profiles of the parasitoid wasp adults to those of their two main host species, Vespula vulgaris and Vespula germanica. The results show differences in hydrocarbon composition of larvae, pupae and adults of S. vesparum. Our results also suggest a partial mimicry of each of the two host species, mostly relating to linear alkanes present in both parasitoids and the host vespid wasp species. This matching is likely due to the recycling of the prey’s hydrocarbons, as has been found in other species of parasitoids.
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A TEST OF WORKER POLICING THEORY IN AN ADVANCED EUSOCIAL WASP, Vespula RUFA
Evolution; international journal of organic evolution, 2005Co-Authors: Tom Wenseleers, Michael E. Archer, Nichola S. Badcock, Kristien Erven, Adam Tofilski, Fabio S. Nascimento, Adam G. Hart, Terry Burke, Francis L. W. RatnieksAbstract:Mutual policing is an important mechanism for maintaining social harmony in group-living organisms. In some ants, bees, and wasps, workers police male eggs laid by other workers in order to maintain the reproductive primacy of the queen. Kin selection theory predicts that multiple mating by the queen is one factor that can selectively favor worker policing. This is because when the queen is mated to multiple males, workers are more closely related to queen's sons than to the sons of other workers. Here we provide an additional test of worker policing theory in Vespinae wasps. We show that the yellowjacket Vespula rufa is characterized by low mating frequency, and that a significant percentage of the males are workers' sons. This supports theoretical predictions for paternities below 2, and contrasts with other Vespula species, in which paternities are higher and few or no adult males are worker produced, probably due to worker policing, which has been shown in one species, Vespula vulgaris. Behavioral observations support the hypothesis that V. rufa has much reduced worker policing compared to other Vespula. In addition, a significant proportion of worker-laid eggs were policed by the queen.
Michael Juhl - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Colony size is linked to paternity frequency and paternity skew in yellowjacket wasps and hornets.
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2014Co-Authors: Kevin J. Loope, Chun Chien, Michael JuhlAbstract:Background The puzzle of the selective benefits of multiple mating and multiple paternity in social insects has been a major focus of research in evolutionary biology. We examine paternity in a clade of social insects, the vespine wasps (the yellowjackets and hornets), which contains species with high multiple paternity as well as species with single paternity. This group is particularly useful for comparative analyses given the wide interspecific variation in paternity traits despite similar sociobiology and ecology of the species in the genera Vespula, DolichoVespula and Vespa. We describe the paternity of 5 species of yellowjackets (Vespula spp.) and we perform a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of relatedness, paternity frequency, paternity skew, colony size, and nest site across 22 vespine taxa.
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Colony size predicts paternity frequency and paternity skew in yellowjacket wasps and hornets
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2014Co-Authors: Kevin J. Loope, Chun Chien, Michael JuhlAbstract:The puzzle of the selective benefits of multiple mating and multiple paternity in social insects has been a major focus of research in evolutionary biology. We examine paternity in a clade of social insects, the vespine wasps (the yellowjackets and hornets), which contains species with high multiple paternity as well as species with single paternity. This group is particularly useful for comparative analyses given the wide interspecific variation in paternity traits despite similar sociobiology and ecology of the species in the genera Vespula, DolichoVespula and Vespa. We describe the paternity of 5 species of yellowjackets (Vespula spp.) and we perform a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of relatedness, paternity frequency, paternity skew, colony size, and nest site across 22 vespine taxa.
Kevin J. Loope - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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pathogen shifts in a honeybee predator following the arrival of the varroa mite
Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2019Co-Authors: Kevin J. Loope, James W Baty, Philip J Lester, Erin Wilson E RankinAbstract:Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are a global threat to honeybees, and spillover from managed bees threaten wider insect populations. Deformed wing virus (DWV), a widespread virus that has become emergent in conjunction with the spread of the mite Varroa destructor, is thought to be partly responsible for global colony losses. The arrival of Varroa in honeybee populations causes a dramatic loss of viral genotypic diversity, favouring a few virulent strains. Here, we investigate DWV spillover in an invasive Hawaiian population of the wasp, Vespula pensylvanica, a honeybee predator and honey-raider. We show that Vespula underwent a parallel loss in DWV variant diversity upon the arrival of Varroa, despite the mite being a honeybee specialist. The observed shift in Vespula DWV and the variant-sharing between Vespula and Apis suggest that these wasps can acquire DWV directly or indirectly from honeybees. Apis prey items collected from Vespula foragers were positive for DWV, indicating predation is a possible route of transmission. We also sought cascading effects of DWV shifts in a broader Vespula pathogen community. We identified concurrent changes in a suite of additional pathogens, as well as shifts in the associations between these pathogens in Vespula. These findings reveal how hidden effects of the Varroa mite can, via spillover, transform the composition of pathogens in interacting species, with potential knock-on effects for entire pathogen communities.
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Colony size is linked to paternity frequency and paternity skew in yellowjacket wasps and hornets.
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2014Co-Authors: Kevin J. Loope, Chun Chien, Michael JuhlAbstract:Background The puzzle of the selective benefits of multiple mating and multiple paternity in social insects has been a major focus of research in evolutionary biology. We examine paternity in a clade of social insects, the vespine wasps (the yellowjackets and hornets), which contains species with high multiple paternity as well as species with single paternity. This group is particularly useful for comparative analyses given the wide interspecific variation in paternity traits despite similar sociobiology and ecology of the species in the genera Vespula, DolichoVespula and Vespa. We describe the paternity of 5 species of yellowjackets (Vespula spp.) and we perform a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of relatedness, paternity frequency, paternity skew, colony size, and nest site across 22 vespine taxa.
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Colony size predicts paternity frequency and paternity skew in yellowjacket wasps and hornets
BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2014Co-Authors: Kevin J. Loope, Chun Chien, Michael JuhlAbstract:The puzzle of the selective benefits of multiple mating and multiple paternity in social insects has been a major focus of research in evolutionary biology. We examine paternity in a clade of social insects, the vespine wasps (the yellowjackets and hornets), which contains species with high multiple paternity as well as species with single paternity. This group is particularly useful for comparative analyses given the wide interspecific variation in paternity traits despite similar sociobiology and ecology of the species in the genera Vespula, DolichoVespula and Vespa. We describe the paternity of 5 species of yellowjackets (Vespula spp.) and we perform a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of relatedness, paternity frequency, paternity skew, colony size, and nest site across 22 vespine taxa.
Francis L. W. Ratnieks - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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A TEST OF WORKER POLICING THEORY IN AN ADVANCED EUSOCIAL WASP, Vespula RUFA
Evolution; international journal of organic evolution, 2005Co-Authors: Tom Wenseleers, Michael E. Archer, Nichola S. Badcock, Kristien Erven, Adam Tofilski, Fabio S. Nascimento, Adam G. Hart, Terry Burke, Francis L. W. RatnieksAbstract:Mutual policing is an important mechanism for maintaining social harmony in group-living organisms. In some ants, bees, and wasps, workers police male eggs laid by other workers in order to maintain the reproductive primacy of the queen. Kin selection theory predicts that multiple mating by the queen is one factor that can selectively favor worker policing. This is because when the queen is mated to multiple males, workers are more closely related to queen's sons than to the sons of other workers. Here we provide an additional test of worker policing theory in Vespinae wasps. We show that the yellowjacket Vespula rufa is characterized by low mating frequency, and that a significant percentage of the males are workers' sons. This supports theoretical predictions for paternities below 2, and contrasts with other Vespula species, in which paternities are higher and few or no adult males are worker produced, probably due to worker policing, which has been shown in one species, Vespula vulgaris. Behavioral observations support the hypothesis that V. rufa has much reduced worker policing compared to other Vespula. In addition, a significant proportion of worker-laid eggs were policed by the queen.
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Paternity, reproduction and conflict in vespine wasps: a model system for testing kin selection predictions
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2001Co-Authors: Kevin R. Foster, Francis L. W. RatnieksAbstract:The Vespinae wasps (Vespa, Provespa, DolichoVespula, and Vespula) are an excellent group for testing kin selection predictions. There is considerable variation in kin structure and conflict resolution in a group of known phylogeny where all species have a similar basic biology: morphologically distinct queens and workers, and annual nests headed by a single queen. Vespine kin structure can be described by a single variable "effective paternity", which is defined by queen mating frequency and sperm use. Low effective paternity, which causes high worker relatedness, is basal in the group (Vespa, DolichoVespula), with high paternity (ca >2) restricted to Vespula whose queens mate more and use sperm more equally. Paternity variation correlates well with observed patterns of reproduction and conflict. As predicted by theory, male production by workers is common in DolichoVespula but not in Vespula where worker policing occurs (Vespula vulgaris). The theory is also supported by intercolony variation in DolichoVespula, with facultative worker policing (DolichoVespula saxonica) and sex allocation biasing by workers (D. arenaria) occurring in response to paternity. In addition, queen loss in reproductive colonies of nine species is negatively correlated with paternity, in line with the prediction that matricide is only expected at low paternity. However, paternity does not explain the reproductive characteristics of Vespa crabro. Although paternity in V. crabro is only 1.1, the same as the mean in six DolichoVespula species, its reproductive behaviour is different from DolichoVespula. More like Vespula, V. crabro has worker policing, workers that rarely have active ovaries, and little queen loss in reproductive-phase colonies.
