Apoica is a genus of eusocial paper wasp found throughout the Central and South American tropics. These wasps are truly nocturnal, carrying out their foraging activities after the setting of the sun. They prefer to construct their nests, which have an open comb like many paper wasps, under large leaves, or in shrubs. During the day, wasps covering the comb fan their wings to cool the nest, keeping it at a suitable temperature for larval development.

Apoica
nest of Apoica pallens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Subfamily: Polistinae
Tribe: Epiponini
Genus: Apoica
Lepeletier, 1836[1]
Type species
Apoica pallida
Olivier, 1791[1]
Species

11 described species, see text

When attacking prey, Apoica release a drop of venom from their stings, which in turn attracts any nearby wasps to attack.

Species

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References

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  1. ^ a b James M. Carpenter. "Tentative Checklist of the Polistine Tribe Epiponini". IUNH. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.

Pickett, K. M. and J. W. Wenzel. 2007. Revision and cladistic analysis of the nocturnal social wasp genus, Apoica Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, Epiponini). American Museum Novitates, Number 3562, 30 pp.