Population densities and biomass of Neotropical social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) related to colony size, hunting range and wasp size

Raw, Anthony

doi:10.1590/S0101-81751998000300025

Abstract

At a locality near Brasilia the sizes of hunting areas and of colonies of 13 species of social wasps varied greatly. Size of the hunting area varied 152 fold and was strongly related to the number of adult wasps per colony which varied 400 fold. The total number of adults of the 13 species was estimated at 182.9/ ha (range 7.1 fold among the species) and their total biomass was 1.6 kg/ ha (range 3.6 fold). Hunting range was not significantly related to body size. Variation in wing area (11.3 fold) was similar to that of the fresh weight of the adult female (10.7 fold). Eleven species showed habitat preferences where they hunted. Models relating prey size to the distance prey are carried are discussed.

Vespidae; colony size; densities; hunting area; neotropics

Population densities and biomass of Neotropical social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) related to colony size, hunting range and wasp size

Anthony Raw

Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz. Rodovia Ilhéus - Itabuna Km 16. 70910-900 Ilhéus, Bahia, Brasil

ABSTRACT

At a locality near Brasilia the sizes of hunting areas and of colonies of 13 species of social wasps varied greatly. Size of the hunting area varied 152 fold and was strongly related to the number of adult wasps per colony which varied 400 fold. The total number of adults of the 13 species was estimated at 182.9/ ha (range 7.1 fold among the species) and their total biomass was 1.6 kg/ ha (range 3.6 fold). Hunting range was not significantly related to body size. Variation in wing area (11.3 fold) was similar to that of the fresh weight of the adult female (10.7 fold). Eleven species showed habitat preferences where they hunted. Models relating prey size to the distance prey are carried are discussed.

Key words: Vespidae, colony size, densities, hunting area, neotropics

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I thank Mr. John N. Landers on whose property the study was conducted. Dr. James Carpenter of the American Museum of Natural History, New York kindly criticized an early version of the manuscript. I am especially grateful to Dr. John D. Hay, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de Brasília and to two unknown reviewers for their invaluable comments on the manuscript.

Recebido em 15.V.1997; aceito em 28.VIII.1998.

DINIZ, I.R. & K. KITAYAMA. 1994. Colony densities and preferences for nest habitats of some social wasps in Mato Grosso state, Brazil (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Jour. Hymen. Res. 3:133-143.
EITEN, G. 1972. The cerrado vegetation of Brazil. Botan. Rev. 38:201-341.
GOBBI, N. & V.L.L. MACHADO. 1985. Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Polybia (Myrapetra) paulista Ihering, 1896 (Hymenoptera - Vespidae). An. Soc. Entomol. Brasil 14:189-195.
______. 1986. Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Polybia (Trichothorax) ignobilis (Haliday, 1836) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). An. Soc. Entomol. Brasil 15:117-125.
HENRIQUES, R.P.B.; I.R.D. ROCHA & K. KITAYAMA. 1992. Nest density of some wasp species in cerrado vegetation of central Brazil (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Entomol. Gener. 17:265-268.
JEANNE, R.L. 1975. The adaptiveness of social wasp nest architecture. Q. Rev. Biol. 50:267-287.
______. 1980. Evolution of social behavior in the Vespidae. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 25:371-396.
MACHADO, V.L.L.; N. GOBBI & V.V. ALVES JR. 1988. Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Polybia (Trichothorax) sericea (Olivier, 1791) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Revta bras. Ent. 5:261-266.
MACHADO, V.L.L.; N. GOBBI & D. SIMÕES. 1987. Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Stelopolybia pallipes (Olivier, 1791) (Hymenoptera - Vespidae). An. Soc. Entomol. Brasil 16:73-79.
MONTILLOR, C.B. & E.A. BERNAYS. 1993. Invertebrate predators and caterpillar foraging, p. 170-202. In: N.E. STAMP & T.M. CASEY (Eds). Caterpillars; Ecological and Evolutionary Constraints on Foraging. New York, Chapman & Hall, 587p.
RAVERET-RICHTER, M. 1990. Hunting social wasp interactions: influence of prey size, arrival order, and wasp species. Ecology 71:1018-1030.
RAVERET-RICHTER, M.A. & R.L. JEANNE. 1985. Predatory behavior of Polybia sericea (Olivier), a tropical social wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 16:165-170.
RAW, A. 1988. Social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) and insect pests of crops of the Suruí and Cinta Larga indians in Rondônia, Brazil. Entomologist 107:104-109.
______. 1992. The forest: savanna margin and habitat selection by Brazilian social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), p. 499-511. In: P.A. FURLEY, J.A. RATTER & J. PROCTOR (Eds). The Nature and Dynamics of the Forest-Savanna Boundary. London, Chapman & Hall, 616p.
______. 1998. Social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) of the Ilha de Maracá, p. 311-325. In: J.A. RATTER & W. MILLIKEN (Eds). Maracá. The Biodiversity and Environment of an Amazonian Rainforest. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons, 508p.
______. (in press). The third trophic level of plant defence: Neotropical social wasps' use of odours of freshly damaged leaves when hunting. Revta bras. Zool

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
10 July 2009
Date of issue
1998

History

Received
15 May 1997
Accepted
28 Aug 1998

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] DINIZ, I.R. & K. KITAYAMA. 1994. Colony densities and preferences for nest habitats of some social wasps in Mato Grosso state, Brazil (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Jour. Hymen. Res. 3:133-143.

[2] EITEN, G. 1972. The cerrado vegetation of Brazil. Botan. Rev. 38:201-341.

[3] GOBBI, N. & V.L.L. MACHADO. 1985. Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Polybia (Myrapetra) paulista Ihering, 1896 (Hymenoptera - Vespidae). An. Soc. Entomol. Brasil 14:189-195.

[4] ______. 1986. Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Polybia (Trichothorax) ignobilis (Haliday, 1836) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). An. Soc. Entomol. Brasil 15:117-125.

[5] HENRIQUES, R.P.B.; I.R.D. ROCHA & K. KITAYAMA. 1992. Nest density of some wasp species in cerrado vegetation of central Brazil (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Entomol. Gener. 17:265-268.

[6] JEANNE, R.L. 1975. The adaptiveness of social wasp nest architecture. Q. Rev. Biol. 50:267-287.

[7] ______. 1980. Evolution of social behavior in the Vespidae. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 25:371-396.

[8] MACHADO, V.L.L.; N. GOBBI & V.V. ALVES JR. 1988. Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Polybia (Trichothorax) sericea (Olivier, 1791) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Revta bras. Ent. 5:261-266.

[9] MACHADO, V.L.L.; N. GOBBI & D. SIMÕES. 1987. Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Stelopolybia pallipes (Olivier, 1791) (Hymenoptera - Vespidae). An. Soc. Entomol. Brasil 16:73-79.

[10] MONTILLOR, C.B. & E.A. BERNAYS. 1993. Invertebrate predators and caterpillar foraging, p. 170-202. In: N.E. STAMP & T.M. CASEY (Eds). Caterpillars; Ecological and Evolutionary Constraints on Foraging. New York, Chapman & Hall, 587p.

[11] RAVERET-RICHTER, M. 1990. Hunting social wasp interactions: influence of prey size, arrival order, and wasp species. Ecology 71:1018-1030.

[12] RAVERET-RICHTER, M.A. & R.L. JEANNE. 1985. Predatory behavior of Polybia sericea (Olivier), a tropical social wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 16:165-170.

[13] RAW, A. 1988. Social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) and insect pests of crops of the Suruí and Cinta Larga indians in Rondônia, Brazil. Entomologist 107:104-109.

[14] ______. 1992. The forest: savanna margin and habitat selection by Brazilian social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), p. 499-511. In: P.A. FURLEY, J.A. RATTER & J. PROCTOR (Eds). The Nature and Dynamics of the Forest-Savanna Boundary. London, Chapman & Hall, 616p.

[15] ______. 1998. Social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) of the Ilha de Maracá, p. 311-325. In: J.A. RATTER & W. MILLIKEN (Eds). Maracá. The Biodiversity and Environment of an Amazonian Rainforest. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons, 508p.

[16] ______. (in press). The third trophic level of plant defence: Neotropical social wasps' use of odours of freshly damaged leaves when hunting. Revta bras. Zool