Agelaia multipicta is a swarm-founding, highly eusocial wasp that lives in Mexico, Argentina, Trinidad and southern Brazil. It nests in natural cavities such as hollow trees and aggressively defends the nest from ants, who are brood predators. The workers and queens are morphologically distinguished by ovarian development as well as external features such as a larger petiole and gaster in the queen. Like other carrion-eating (necrophagous) wasp species, A. multipicta plays a scavenging role in the ecosystem. Agelaia multipicta was described by the Irish entomologist Alexander Henry Haliday in 1836.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it venomous or poisonous?
Considered venomous. Public sources list it as such; we have not verified this individually. The note covers its whole family. Wasps and hornets; stings Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Agelaia yepocapa — considered venomous
- Agelaia bequaerti — considered venomous
- Polybia fastidiosuscula — considered venomous
- Pseudopolybia vespiceps — considered venomous
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera
- Family
- Vespidae
- Genus
- Agelaia
- Species
- Agelaia multipicta
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