Hornet

Hornet (Vespa crabro )

The hornets (Vespa ) are a genus of Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera ) from the family of social wasps ( Vespidae ). The eponymous and well-known in Central Europe species is the hornet (Vespa crabro ).

Features

Hornets are the largest Real wasps, their workers usually reach body lengths of about 20 millimeters. When occurring in the Himalayas Art Vespa ducalis the queens can reach a length of 40 mm and a wingspan of 80 millimeters. The animals are usually colored eye-catching, with brown to schwärzlichbrauner color and vivid yellow pattern on the thorax and the tergites of the abdomen.

Of the other rights wasps they differ by their size and a number of features of the head. The rear their three simple eyes are closer together than the compound eyes and are closer to this than the occiput. The Vertex is elongated.

The larvae of the head from the front is viewed dorsoventrally flattened slightly to almost round. The ratio of head width to height is 1.21 to 1.50, the ratio of head width to the width of the mouthparts from 1.33 to 1.61. The frontal furrow is very pronounced. The labrum is widest at the base. The mandibles are relatively short.

Occurrence

Hornets are found in tropical to temperate zones, most representatives of the genus in East Asia is from where some species have spread over Southeast Asia and some South Pacific islands to New Guinea. West to Europe come before the Common Hornet (Vespa crabro ) and the Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis). The Ordinary Hornet was naturalized in North America. A large fossil Vespa style is from the late Oligocene or early Miocene in Cannon Ferry ( North Carolina, United States ) is known.

Nutrition

Hornets feed on mostly carnivorous, they hunt and prey on other insects. In very rare cases hornets also feed on carrion, but usually prefer live prey. The prey of a medium-sized nation of about 300 to 400 animals is indicated with half a kilogram per day during high season (summer). Moreover, they prefer high-carbohydrate diet in the form of sweet juices such as tree sap from oak or ash trees, fermenting fruit and nectar case.

System

Within the Real wasps ( Vespinae ) the genus is the sister taxon to Provespa Vespa.

The genus Vespa contains about 23 species:

  • Vespa affinis
  • Vespa analis
  • Vespa Auraria
  • Vespa basalis
  • Vespa bellicosa
  • Vespa bicolor
  • Vespa binghami
  • Hornet (Vespa crabro )
  • Vespa ducalis
  • Vespa dybowskii
  • Vespa fervida
  • Vespa fumida
  • Vespa luctuosa
  • Asian Riesenhornisse (Vespa mandarinia )
  • Vespa mocsaryana
  • Vespa multimaculata
  • Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis)
  • Vespa philippinensis
  • Vespa simillima
  • Vespa soror
  • Vespa tropica
  • Vespa velutina
  • Vespa vivax

2013 was of Perrard et al. proposed based on morphological and DNA sequence studies following cladogram for the family relationships between species:

Vespa basalis

Vespa binghami

Vespa fumida

Vespa soror

Vespa mandarinia

Vespa philippinensis

Vespa tropica

Vespa ducalis

Vespa dybowskii

Vespa orientalis

Vespa moscaryana

Vespa affinis

Vespa analis

Vespa luctuosa

Vespa fervida

Vespa multimaculata

Vespa bellicosa

Vespa bicolor

Vespa simillima

Vespa velutina

Asian giant hornet Labrum (arthropod mouthpart) Mandible (insect mouthpart) Carnivore Fraxinus
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