The Nesting Habits of Polistes Wasps as a Factor in Taxonomy

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Abstract
The suggestion is made by Dr. Robert Bugbee, in an interesting paper on Polistes fuscatus (Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 29: 614-616, 1936), that the nesting habits of Polistes wasps may be considered as another character for use in working out the phylogeny as well as the taxonomy of these wasps. He further states that a few clues in this line are now at hand, and more should be gathered since “the study of this aspect of behavior offers many interesting problems and angles.” His remarks have still greater significance inasmuch as a study of the genus Polistes offers baffling difficulties to the taxonomist. Therefore any additional clues that their behavior can supply may in part answer the questions perplexing the taxonomist; or they may at least show the directions in which the various members of the genus are moving, psychologically.

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