An anocellar polistine wasp (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) from Texas

By

Lohrmann, Volker
Waldren, George C.
Reiss, Martin
Engel, Michael S.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2016

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

92

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

251--255

Subjects

aberration , Malformation , Morphology , paper wasp , Polistes dorsalis , social wasp , Teratology

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.92.10548

 

Abstract

A remarkable teratological female of Polistes (Fuscopolistes) dorsalis neotropicus Bequaert, 1940 (Vespidae: Polistinae) is described and illustrated. The specimen lacks all three external dorsal ocelli but is normally developed in almost every other aspect. Additionally, similar findings in other Hymenoptera are briefly discussed, as are the consequences and the reasons that might cause the random loss of ocelli.