Apoica pallens
The Central American paper wasp (Apoica pallens) is a nocturnal eusocial wasp (family Vespidae). It is famous for its swarming behavior. It is native to the lowlands of central and northern South America.[2]
| Apoica pallens | |
|---|---|
| |
| A. pallens observed in Panama | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Polistinae |
| Tribe: | Epiponini |
| Genus: | Apoica |
| Species: | A. pallens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Apoica pallens (Fabricius, 1804)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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This species has developed special night vision adaptations which help their night-time swarming and foraging behavior.[3] It has important medicinal properties for the Pankararé people of Brazil.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Apoica pallens populations are native to the lowlands of Central and northern South America. Generally, they are found in areas of tropical savanna, semi-deciduous tropical dry forest, gallery forest, and marshland.[2] Apoica is one of the prominent genera of the New World tropics, and is rather abundant.
Swarming
Apoica pallens is best known for its unique swarm founding behavior, in which the adult population of a colony abandons an old nest and emigrates to a new site. This has been observed for several reasons. Firstly, as part of normal colony reproduction. And secondly, in response to severe disturbance or destruction of the original nest. Additionally, nest abandonment is sometimes correlated with changing climates, and in the case of Apoica pallens, has been observed more frequently during the dry season.[5] Males follow swarm emigrations and may stay with the newly created colony for the following weeks.[6]
Epiponini are either permanently or mainly polygynous.[7]
Other behavior
Foraging
Foraging takes place at night. Swarms of wasps explosively leave the nest, then quickly return only to leave again in a similar fashion.[5] As the night progresses there are moderate to heavy levels of return and departures by smaller groups of wasps. The foraging patterns of Apoica pallens depends on the moon’s cycle: when the moon is new, it forages during the first four hours after sunset, with another small peak of activity just before dawn as wasps return to the nest. When the moon is waxing, it extends the hours of forage until individuals are out all night long.[8]
Their adaptations allow them to forage in low light conditions. These wasps have larger visual fields compared to those of relatives.[3][9]
Dominance hierarchy
Apoica pallens is a caste species with morphological differentiation between females. These castes are classified as workers and queens. This is based on the size of ovaries.[10] The differences between the castes of queens and workers are formed during the larval stage. Queen-destined larvae show faster growth rates in various bodily compartments than worker-destined larvae. This results in individuals with different shapes even though larvae are about the same size.[11]
Uses in folk medicine
Folk medicine is prominent in various areas of Brazil. Insects are used in folk remedies. Medicinal insects are the focus of healing methods targeted to treat ailments, serving as drug resources that come from nature. The nests of Apoica pallens, is known to be significant in the practices of Pankarare ́Indians and also the rural people of Brazil.
Nests of these wasps are burned and the smoke released is inhaled in order to heal stroke. Furthermore, when the presence of evil is suspected in an Indian’s life, they must bath in this smoke of the burning nest as treatment. In Matinha dos Pretos, pieces of the nest may be boiled in water to make a tea that serves as treatment for asthma.[4]
Diet
Apoica pallens collects various arthropods including flies, caterpillars, and beetles.[5] It also collects pollen and nectar from banana blossoms. This species practices brood cannibalism: the adults will eat some of the brood if their own nutritional needs are not met. Generally, several adults will divide up a single larva.[5] In addition, adults will exchange food via trophallaxis.[5]
Defense
Apoica pallens displays active, rather than chemical defense behavior. During the day, when adult individuals are not swarming, they cover the comb face of the nest several layers thick. The wasps on the outer layer of the comb face outward. They watch for predatory ants trying to reach the interior of the nest.[12] It is thought that the advantages of this protective formation during the day is what led to the nocturnal foraging and swarming.[5]
Apoica Pallens Media
Apoica pallens adult female
Apoica pallens colony, Panama
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References
- ↑ James M. Carpenter. "Tentative Checklist of the Polistine Tribe Epiponini". IUNH. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Richards O.W. (1978). "The social wasps of the Americas excluding the Vespinae". British Museum (Natural History), London.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Greiner, B. (2006). "Visual adaptations in the night-active wasp Apoica pallens" (PDF). The Journal of Comparative Neurology. 495 (3): 255–262. doi:10.1002/cne.20882. PMID 16440299. S2CID 39534847. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Medeiros Costa-Neto, Eraldo (June 2002). "Visual adaptations in the night-active wasp Apoica pallens". Human Evolution. 30 (2): 245–263.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Hunt J.H; R.L. Jeanne & M.G. Keeping 1995. Observations on Apoica pallens, a nocturnal neotropical socialwasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae, Epiponini). Insect Society.
- ↑ Howard K.J.; et al. (2002). "Ethology, ecology & evolution".
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ Noll F.B. (2013). "Marimbondos: a review on the neotropical swarm-founding polistines". Sociobiology.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ Warrant, Eric J. 2008. Seeing in the dark: vision and visual behaviour in nocturnal bees and wasps. Journal of Experimental Biology.
- ↑ "rhabdom". Biology. Oxford Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-09-29.
- ↑ Jeanne R.L; Graf C.A. & Yandell B.S. 1995. Non-size-based morphological castes in a social insect. Naturwissenschaften.
- ↑ Noll, Fernandao B.; et al. (2004). "Evolution of caste in neotropical swarm-founding wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Epiponini". American Museum Novitates. American Museum of Natural History.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ↑ London K.B. & Jeanne R.L. 2000. The interaction between mode of colony founding, nest architecture and ant defense in polistine wasps. Ethology Ecology & Evolution.