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SEASONAL VARIATION IN BODY SIZE AND REPRODUCTIVE CONDITION OF A PAPER WASP, POLISTES METRICUS (HYMENOPTERA: VESPIDAE)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Constance M. Haggard  and
George J. Gamboa
Constance M. Haggard
Affiliation:
Department of Systematics and Ecology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045
George J. Gamboa
Affiliation:
Department of Systematics and Ecology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045
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Abstract

Seasonal morphometric analysis of 788 adult Polistes metricus Say showed that: (1) Queens sampled throughout the colony cycle were of similar body size but significantly smaller than fall gynes. (2) Queens’ ovaries are large in the spring, decline early in the colony cycle, peak near the mid-postemergence period and decline late in the colony cycle. (3) There are no significant correlations between head width, ovary width, and size of nest in workers or queens. (4) Early and late workers are small but workers emerging during the mid-postemergence period are large. (5) All workers and gynes emerge with small, similar sized ovaries but older workers may develop larger ovaries. (6) Queens are larger than early and late workers but the same size as workers emerging during the mid-postemergence period. (7) The class with the largest adults were intermediates collected when colonies began production of males. These adults, intermediate in fat content between workers and gynes, comprised a large proportion of females emerging late in the colony cycle. (8) The body size of gynes is independent of colony size. (9) Males were significantly more variable in body size than gynes.

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 112 , Issue 3 , 01 March 1980 , pp. 239 - 248
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1980

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