Polistes
Genus of wasps / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Polistes?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Polistes is a cosmopolitan genus of paper wasps and the only genus in the tribe Polistini. Vernacular names for the genus include umbrella wasps, coined by Walter Ebeling in 1975 to distinguish it from other types of paper wasp, in reference to the form of their nests,[3] and umbrella paper wasps.[4] Polistes is the single largest genus within the family Vespidae, with over 200 recognized species.[5] Their innate preferences for nest-building sites leads them to commonly build nests on human habitation, where they can be very unwelcome; although generally not aggressive, they can be provoked into defending their nests. All species are predatory, and they may consume large numbers of caterpillars, in which respect they are generally considered beneficial.[citation needed]
Polistes | |
---|---|
Polistes gallicus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Vespidae |
Subfamily: | Polistinae |
Tribe: | Polistini |
Genus: | Polistes Latreille, 1802 |
Type species | |
Polistes gallicus | |
Synonyms[2] | |
|