Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec;50(6):912-922.
doi: 10.1007/s13744-021-00910-1. Epub 2021 Sep 15.

Camouflaged Nests of Mischocyttarus mirificus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Lucas Rocha Milani  1 , Rafael Alves Bonfim de Queiroz  2 , Marcos Magalhães de Souza  3 , Mateus Aparecido Clemente  4 , Fábio Prezoto  5
Affiliations

Camouflaged Nests of Mischocyttarus mirificus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Lucas Rocha Milani et al. Neotrop Entomol. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Social wasps present various architectural patterns for their nests, which may differ in shape, size, color, and material used in construction. The distribution pattern of comb cells presented by Mischocyttarus mirificus (Zikán, 1935) is vertical with a single cell of width, resulting in a filiform shape that camouflages in the middle of the substrate. There are few studies regarding this architectural pattern for social wasps and their role in camouflage, and this study aims to detail the nesting habits of this species. In total, 40 colonies were analyzed in their natural habitat and six were dissected in the laboratory. Aspects about the construction of the nests and nesting environment have been described. A test was carried out with nest photographs, to quantify their camouflage percentage within the nesting substrate. The colonies were found mainly in riparian forests where there were elements in the environment that favored their camouflage. According to the nest photograph analysis, their camouflage levels can vary according to the position from which the photograph is taken. It is evident that M. mirificus founders select sites where they can camouflage their colonies, and this gives them advantages in exploring a new environment.

Keywords: Architectural; Colony; Environment; Mischocyttarini; Social wasps.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Barbosa BC, Detoni M, Maciel TT, Prezoto F (2016) Studies of social wasp diversity in Brazil: over 30 years of research, advancements and priorities. Sociobiology 63(3):858–880. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v63i3.1031 - DOI
    1. Barbosa BC, Dias LM, Vieira KM, Prezoto F (2016b) Cryptic nest of Mischocyttarus iheringi (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Florida Entomologist 9(1):135–138. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.099.0130 - DOI
    1. Carpenter JM, Andena SR (2013) The vespidae of Brazil. Manaus, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisa da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
    1. Carpenter JM, Marques OM (2001) Contribuição ao Estudo dos Vespídeos do Brasil. Cruz das Almas, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Série Publicações Digitais 3: CD-ROM
    1. Castro MM, Avelar DLG, Souza AR, Prezoto F (2014) Nesting substrata, colony success and productivity of the wasp Mischocyttarus cassununga. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 58(2):168–172. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0085-56262014000200009 - DOI

LinkOut - more resources