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Recent studies have reported incipient morphological caste dimorphism in the Van der Vecht organ size of some temperate Polistes paper wasps. Whether species other than the temperate ones show a similar pattern remains elusive. Here, we have studied some Neotropical Polistes species. By comparing females collected through the year, we showed caste related differences in the size of the Van der Vecht organ in P. ferreri (body size corrected Van der Vech organ size of queens = 0.45 ± 0.06, workers = 0.38 ± 0.07 mm2, p = 0.0021), P. versicolor (body size corrected Van der Vech organ size of queens = 0.54 ± 0.11, workers = 0.46 ± 0.09 mm2, p = 0.010), but not P. simillimus (body size corrected Van der Vech organ size of queens = 0.52 ± 0.05, workers = 0.49 ± 0.06 mm2, p = 0.238). Therefore, it seems that queens and workers of some Neotropical Polistes have diverged in their ontogenic trajectory of the Van der Vecht organ size, providing clear evidence for incipient morphological caste dimorphism. As Polistes are distributed mostly in the tropics, we propose that physical caste differences may be widespread in the genus. Also, we highlight that morphological divergence in the queen–worker phenotypes may have started through differential selection of body structures, like the Van der Vecht organ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional signals are maintained via social costs and commonly used in the animal kingdom to assess conspecifics' agonistic ability during disputes over resources. In the last decade, some experimental studies reported the existence of visual conventional signals in several social wasp species, being good rank predictors in different social contexts. Females of the social wasp Polistes gallicus do not cooperate to start nests but they often try to usurp conspecific nests. Here, we showed that the reproductive females of this species have variable facial colour patterns that function as conventional signals. Wasps with larger black spots on their clypeus are more likely to successfully overwinter, are larger, and are better at fighting and at holding a nest. Furthermore, in field experiments, resident foundresses rely on facial pattern to assess usurpers' fighting abilities, modulating their defence reaction accordingly, so that rivals with larger black spot receive more aggression than rivals with smaller or no black spots on the clypeus. Our study reveals that visual recognition abilities are widespread among paper wasps that, regardless of their social biology, face similar selective pressures within competitive contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overwintering insects are facing energetic challenges because of food shortage, low temperature, and desiccation stress. Paper wasps of the genus Polistes overwinter as mated adults (gynes) in hibernacula protecting them from predation, snow, and rain but barely from low environmental temperature. In different climates, they face differing overwintering temperature regimes, and therefore they may differ in their energy use. We investigated how much of energy resources built up until autumn is used during diapause dormancy in natural hibernacula by measuring lipid, glycogen, and free carbohydrate content in autumn and early spring in Polistes dominula from temperate European (Austrian) and warm Mediterranean (Italian) climate and Polistes gallicus from Mediterranean climate. Winter energy consumption amounted to ~ 339 and ~ 310 J per wasp in the Austrian and Italian Polistes dominula populations. The smaller Italian Polistes gallicus consumed ~ 247 J. This amounts to 2.62, 2.35, and 1.79 J per day. Of this, the energy demand was mainly fuelled by lipids (84%, 93%, and 90%, respectively), but glycogen stores contributed also considerably (16%, 6%, and 9%). Free carbohydrates decreased only by 0.7%, 1%, and 0.8%. While fat stores seem still sufficient in spring, the wasps depleted most of their carbohydrates. The energy reserves of 396, 400, and 147 J per wasp remaining in spring in the three populations seem sufficient to fuel rest or simple brood care activities for a whole summer but restrict foraging flights to a few hours (~ 3.5–6 h). Results suggest that energy supply might become challenging in expected future climate scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two paper wasps, Polistes dominula and Polistes gallicus, are related species with strongly differing distribution ranges. We investigated thermal tolerance traits (critical thermal limits and metabolic response to temperature) to gain knowledge about physiological adaptations to their local climate conditions and to get evidence for the reasons of P. dominula's successful dispersion. Body and ambient temperature measurements at the nests revealed behavioural adaptations to microclimate. The species differed clearly in critical thermal minimum ( P. dominula −1.4 °C, P. gallicus −0.4 °C), but not significantly in critical thermal maximum of activity ( P. dominula 47.1 °C, P. gallicus 47.6 °C). The metabolic response did not reveal clear adaptations to climate conditions. At low and high temperatures, the metabolic rate of P. dominula was higher, and at intermediate temperatures, we determined higher values in P. gallicus. However, the species exhibited remarkably differing thermoregulatory behaviour at the nest. On average, P. gallicus tolerated a thoracic temperature up to ~41 °C, whereas P. dominula already tried at ~37 °C to keep the thorax below ambient temperature. We suggest this to be an adaptation to the higher mean ambient temperature we measured at the nest during a breeding season. Although we determined for P. dominula a 0.5 °C larger thermal tolerance range, we do not presume this parameter to be solely responsible for the successful distribution of P. dominula. Additional factors, such as the thermal tolerance of the queens could limit the overwintering success of P. gallicus in a harsher climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]