170 
Psyche 
[Vol. 88 
U.S.S.R. and throughout China, east to the Pacific coast (Guiglia, 
1972; Yoshikawa, 1962). Generally, the species is found in warmer 
and dryer localities within its range. It is not common above 1000 m 
elevation, although in southern Spain specimens have been collected 
above 2000 m (Guiglia, 1972). 
The biology of P. gallicus varies considerably between the 
climatic extremes of the area it inhabits. North of the Alps, nests are 
built in enclosed places, such as metal containers and gutter pipes. 
This type of nest has also been reported by Pardi from the coast of 
Tuscany in Italy (Guiglia, 1972, and references therein). Throughout 
most of Italy, however, the nests of P. gallicus are built in the open, 
and typically hang from eaves, branches, or other protective 
horizontal structures. The nest hangs from a slender peduncle with 
its disc oriented horizontally, and the cells opening downward. 
Often there are several accessory peduncles. Infrequently, nests are 
found whose discs are oriented vertically. 
In Italy, where the species has been studied extensively, nests of 
close to 500 cells have been reported on several occasions (Guiglia, 
1972). It is apparently common for colonies of this species to 
become quite large in the south. 
Polistes gallicus colonies are haplometrotic (with a single found- 
ress) in northern Germany and presumably throughout the northern 
extent of the species’ range. Further south, for instance in southern 
Germany, pleiometrotic colonies (with several foundresses) are 
occasionally reported (Richards, 1953). In Italy the species is 
typically pleiometrotic, although as with the pleiometrotic colonies 
reported from Germany, one queen is clearly dominant and lays 
most of the eggs. The subordinate, or accessory females function as 
workers in the nest. According to Pardi (1948), after the first 
workers emerge the accessory females are chased off the nest or 
killed by the queen. This situation resembles nest founding in P. 
fuscatus (Fabricius), the common paper wasp in northeastern 
United States, except that in P. fuscatus subordinate females are 
usually allowed to remain on the nest after workers have emerged 
(West, 1967). In Africa P. gallicus colonies reproduce by swarming, 
with a reproductive female leaving her nest in the company of 
several workers (Richards, 1953). 
Local Observations 
I report here on 2 nests of P. gallicus in Cambridge, Massachu- 
