Vespa ducalis Smith 1852
Authors/Creators
- 1. USDA-APHIS-PPQ, Science and Technology (S & T), Sacramento, CA,
- 2. Department of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY,
- 3. Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, and
Description
Vespa ducalis Smith
Figs. 7c, 7d, 8d, 13b, 27, and 28
Vespa ducalis Smith, 1852: 39. Syntypes female, male; China: ‘ Teintung, near Nigo-po-foo’ (LONDON-NHM).
Vespa ducalis var. pulchra du Buysson, 1905 (1904): 519. Lectotype female (designated by van der Vecht, 1959: 224); Japan: Yokohama (PARIS).
Vespa matsumurai Sonan, 1935: 370. Holotype female; Japan: Tokyo (TAICHUNG).
Vespa esakii Sonan, 1935: 371. Holotype female; Japan: Tsushima Is., ‘Izuhara’ (FUKUOKA).
Vespa tropica loochooensis Bequaert, 1936: 343. Holotype female; Japan: Iriomote Is., Ryukyu Archipelago (CAMBRIDGE).
Vespa tropica pseudosoror van der Vecht, 1959: 224. Holotype female; Vietnam: Annam, Tourane, 1,000 m (PARIS).
Distribution. India, Sikkim, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand; Laos, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Hainan; Taiwan; Russia: Korea; Japan, including Ryukyu Is.
Discussion. This species of Vespa is quite different from the others. It preys on nests of other paper wasps, feeding the paper wasp pupae and larvae to their larvae. Their colonies are small with an average of 50 individuals, and nests are built underground, in tree hollows, and even in attics (Archer 1991).
Notes
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Linked records
Additional details
Identifiers
Biodiversity
- Collection code
- LONDON-NHM
- Scientific name authorship
- Smith
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Family
- Vespidae
- Genus
- Vespa
- Species
- ducalis
- Taxon rank
- species
- Taxonomic concept label
- Vespa ducalis Smith, 1852 sec. Smith-Pardo, Carpenter & Kimsey, 2020
References
- Archer, M. E. 1991. Taxonomy and bionomics of the Vespa tropica group. Entomol. Mon. Mag. 127: 225 - 232.