Robert W. Matthews, Janice R. Matthews, "Nesting Behavior of Abispa ephippium (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae): Extended Parental Care in an Australian Mason Wasp", Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, vol. The Australian hornet ( Abispa ephippium ), actually a type of potter wasp or "mason wasp", is a vespid insect native to the Australian states and territories of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. We assumed that they were seeking females, because in a few cases we observed pairs flying in copulo. Although capable of stinging, they are At least 4 and probably more successive generations occur annually at the study site. We challenged her a second time, wiggling the straw such that the fly appeared to hover immediately in front of her. Then we exposed her to 3 more similarly presented flies sequentially over about 10 minutes. The smooth, almost polished interior surface of the funnel bell is regularly maintained by brushing with dense tarsal setae unique to Abispa females (Figure 9). Speculating further, we note that humans commonly use funnel-shaped guards above or below bird feeders to thwart squirrels. Mudnest wasps are very different in habits from true hornets. In morphology, coloration, and size, Pseudabispa wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) closely resemble mason wasps in the genus Abispa, and their distributions overlap. The latter was seen to copulate with her successfully 3 times in succession (for 69, 86, and 52 seconds, resp.) She was away from the nest only 19 minutes—4 trips before the cell was closed and other 2 after that for additional water used to obliterate all traces of the funnel. The tip of her abdomen was visible over the next several minutes of activity inside the nest. During each nesting season, a focal nest was chosen for detailed behavioral observations. A large and colourful Potter Wasp (Abispa ephippium) collects mud from my eroded driveway. Hymenoptera>Vespoidea>Vespidae>Vespa , SD = 1.9, These parasitic flies oviposit near solitary wasp nests, not directly within them. Another 5 wasps (2 females and 3 males) were seen or recaptured on subsequent days— At irregular intervals, they would leave the nest for brief periods, and upon returning usually checked the current cell intensively, often making several inspection circuits around the nest exterior as well. We duplicated this procedure the same day at another nest with essentially similar results. Introduction. For example, the first and second times that she was confronted by a cuckoo wasp inserted part way into the funnel, the female lunged at the intruder several times with such force that it could be felt through the straw. Potter wasps are also known as mason wasps. Unfortunately, our evidence is circumstantial since we did not remove this nest until another week had passed. This observation suggests that whatever the funnel’s purpose, it must serve primarily during the interval when the egg has been laid and the cell is being provisioned. Obviously, resolving the purpose of such flights (and thus the proper terminology to use) will require further study. The National Geographic Society provided funding (Award no. The Australian hornet (Abispa ephippium), actually a type of potter wasp or "mason wasp", is a vespid insect native to the Australian states and territories of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Paired controls were mud fragments of similar size gathered nearby from a naturally cracked dried puddle. Unlike many Vespids, potter (December, 1st 2019). Abstract. In the New South Wales study, male A. ephippium patrolled pools along an intermittently flowing stream and mated with females that arrived to obtain water. Body length 30mm This wasp is very large and with strong body. Eumeninae in the family Vespidae, which also contains hornets, yellowjackets, Female potter wasps No unequivocal Pseudabispa nests were ever found despite extensive searching in 2 seasons. The defense weapon carries a toxic defeat, and in severe cases can cause a lethal outcome. The discovery that the antennae of certain Philanthus wasps (Crabronidae) secrete symbiotic bacteria that inhibit fungus growth [16] suggests another potential area of investigation that might be fruitful. Whether the well-developed foretarsal brushes (see Figure 9) apply some substance to the inner surface or simply act to polish it and maintain its smoothness needs further investigation. developing larvae to feed on. P. Tang, A.P. grande>Abejorro>Calabrone Given the violence of these attacks against dummy flies approaching or on the nest, it is probably unsurprising to note that later nest dissections showed no evidence of successful parasitism by bombyliid flies, despite their abundance at the study site and the fact that they were regularly observed flying along the rafters. Six species of secondary nest users were regularly observed at our site: a megachilid bee (Chalicodoma aethiops (Smith)), a sphecid wasp (Pison  sp. Sphex and Prionyx construct burrows in the soil while Isodontia species use preexisting cavities. The patrolling behavior occurred intermittently throughout the day, but was more intense in the last hour before sunset; whether this behavior constitutes true territoriality and therefore an additional Abispa male mating strategy also will require additional study. The Australian hornet is a solitary insect, forming small nests against buildings and other structures. (d, courtesy of Bonnie Heim) Male has landed on a female obtaining water at the small pool. This article details types of wasps, as well as wasp sting treatment, natural remedies, causes, prevention, symptoms and more. These parasitoids were common at the study site and were reared from nests of other mason wasp species. On another occasion we placed 2 freshly killed (by freezing) males in realistic resting positions on decaying mango fruits at the water’s edge and watched patrolling males’ responses for 3 hours (0900–1200). However, although we confirmed the presence of M. australica Girault at our study site as a frequent parasite of other wasp and bee species and we confirmed that prepupae of A. ephippium were suitable and acceptable hosts (unpublished observations), M. australica was never found to have successfully parasitized this Abispa species. It appears likely that nesting occurs asynchronously within the Abispa population. Lizards and spiders are likely to be common enemies of mud wasps; dead wasp mummies were regularly seen in old spider webs at the study site. Although others [9] have postulated that the funnel’s purpose is to protect nest contents against ants, paralyzed caterpillar baits were actually removed faster from the funnel pieces ( Field, “Intraspecific parasitism as an alternative reproductive tactic in nest-building wasps and bees,”, H. Hacker, “Entomological contributions,”, D. K. Yeates and C. L. Lambkin, “Cryptic species diversity and character congruence: review of the tribe Anthracini (Diptera: Bombyliidae) in Australia,”, J. This male made at least 6 unsuccessful attempts to couple. To roughly simulate encounters with natural parasites at different stages of construction or provisioning, resident females associated with 3 nests were challenged with freshly killed bombyliid flies and chrysidid wasps either affixed to the end of a long flexible palm-frond straw (Figure 3) or glued directly onto the nest exterior (Figure 4) using Elmers school glue. Hornets are generally bigger than wasps, however – up to twice bigger sometimes. In 2004, 2 copulations were recorded that were not nest-associated. Reusing funnel mud for cell closure requires only a few brief water-gathering trips, minimizing and greatly lowering the time (by 77% in our study) that the nest must be left unguarded when the cell is fully provisioned with a developing larva. This may be the first report of this behavior among the solitary Vespidae. If the pain is persistent and continues, see your doctor. We documented that P. paragioides females not only usurp nests but also steal prey from partially provisioned cells of unsuspecting A. ephippium females while the latter are away from their nests. Windy or rainy periods appeared to have little effect on nesting progress. Large Potter Wasp - Abispa ephippium FAMILY VESPIDAE. He remained in tenure at the same spot over several successive days. Females actively guard nests, but challenged nest-attending males simply retreat. Like other solitary wasps, A. ephippium females are vulnerable to usurpation and parasitism because by necessity they must spend considerable periods of time away, leaving their nest undefended. Genus Abispa Genus Abispa contains the largest Australian wasp species. In 2007, wasp numbers and nesting activity were poor by comparison with 2004. Sign up here as a reviewer to help fast-track new submissions. A pot shape nest is built from mud. shrubs. Another 15 wasps (6 females, 9 males) were seen or recaptured on subsequent days at least once during the study; of these, 6 (2 females, 4 males) were recaptured 2 or more times; one male was recaptured 5 times at 3 different locations. From an internal diameter of just over an Abispa head width (about 9 mm), where it connects to the cell, the bell opening flares to 14–17 mm diameter at its open end; the total length of the funnel is about 20 mm, depending on the point to which one measures. The result is a smooth rounded fortress with walls of variable thickness (range 6–10 mm; Potter wasps have the potential to deliver painful stings, but are not aggressive and rarely attack humans. At this, she responded with a brief wing buzz but no lunge or bite. With multiple copulations observed between marked individuals, our study has also confirmed the multiple mating previously described for A. ephippium [5]. During the 2004 field study, we marked 46 wasps (15 females; 27 males; 4 of undetermined gender) over the course of days (Figure 6). Mud for the final cell closure is obtained by dismantling the funnel, one mouthful at a time. In the present study, multiple recaptures reconfirmed that Abispa males are highly mobile, appearing at different sites over several days. The North American bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula Maculata) is actually a species of wasp, as is the Australian hornet (Abispa ephippium), which is a subspecies of the potter wasp. A honey bee’s sting and bite is no match for a hornet, so instead they swarm around the lonesome hornet, vibrating their bodies at a tremendous rate. The same goes for the Australian hornet (Abispa ephippium), which is a type of potter wasp. Larval prey identifications are difficult because Australian caterpillars are relatively poorly studied. Another 38 minutes were spent at the nest, fine tuning it. To describe such behavior, a reviewer suggested the term “patrolling,” a term generally defined as regular tours of movement to guard or protect a place or maintain order. ome. Paper wasps, Ropalidia revolutionalis, only sting when their communal nest is damaged . We exposed the baits simultaneously for 20 minutes and recorded the elapsed time until the caterpillar was discovered and then fully removed from its mud platter. Unlike sphecid mason wasps such as Trypoxylon or Pison that often cluster their nests in suitable places, Abispa nests are isolated. floating ember on fuel,a corroding bloom,humming gloam. Nesting behavior was studied at the Northern Territory Rural College campus of Charles Darwin University, 15K N. of Katherine ( After 52 seconds with no physical contact, we removed the fly. In 2004, 4 additional nests were monitored daily; in 2007, 2 additional nests were collected after shorter observation. The one female observed to mate 3 times in succession on her nest with the same marked male and once with a different male simply resumed whatever task she had been doing, seemingly unfazed by the interruption. However, this use of the term is incorrect as true hornets do not occur in Australia. Repeatedly ( The genus Abispa includes Australia's largest wasps, potters with distinctive mud nests weighing up to 0.5 kg. However, Abispa removes the funnel completely at each cell’s completion and builds it anew for each subsequent cell. to flexible palm frond fiber straws (see Figure 3, b) and presented one to a female resting inside her nest funnel, head facing out, at the midpoint of a cell construction cycle.