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Polistes major
P. major in Coral Gables, Florida
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Vespidae
Subfamily:	Polistinae
Genus:	Polistes
Species:	P. major
Binomial name
Polistes major Palisot de Beauvois, 1818

Polistes major is a Neotropical species of paper wasp found from South America north into the southern United States. This species is known as avispa de caballo (Spanish: "horse wasp") in the Dominican Republic.

Subspecies

There are five described subspecies:

• Polistes major bonaccensis Bequaert, 1937
• Polistes major castaneicolor Bequaert, 1936
• Polistes major colombianus Bequaert, 1940
• Polistes major major Palisot de Beauvois, 1818
• Polistes major weyrauchi Bequaert, 1940

Description

Polistes major is a larger species compared to allies within its genus, reaching 17 to 22 mm (0.67 to 0.87 in) in length, with a wingspan of up to 45 mm (1.8 in). It is second in size only to P. carnifex. The coloration varies by subspecies, though the most widespread subspecies, P. m. major, has a reddish-brown ground color with broad yellow stripes. In contrast, the subspecies P. m. castaneicolor and P. m. weyrauchi are entirely reddish with no yellow markings.

References

1. ^ Carpenter, James M. (1996). "Distributional checklist of the species of the genus Polistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, Polistini)". American Museum Novitates (3188): 1–39. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
2. Snyder, Susan Leach (2013). "Order Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps, Ants, and Sawflies) in the Christopher B. Smith Preserve". Tortoise Preserve. Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
3. Richards, Owain Westmacott (1978). The social wasps of the Americas, excluding the Vespinae. London: British Museum (Natural History). pp. 477–488. ISBN 0565007858.

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