Hunter's Little Paper Wasp

Polistes dorsalis is one of the smaller species of Polistes wasps. Wasps can have two sets of wings: fore and hind wings. This species of wasp tend to have a fore wing length of around 11–17 mm. The exoskeletal plate is in the shape of a shield and located below its frons, usually black or dark brown in color with a band of yellow. Its sides are also mainly black in color with distinct yellow markings. The elongated segments of its antenna, or flagellomeres that stem from the base, tend to be less tapered and dull orange in color. The abdomen of female Polistes dorsalis can be composed of alternating dull orange, yellow, brown, and black sections. Female Polistes dorsalis have colorings similar to that of P. fuscatus, P. apachus, and P. bellicosus, but can be distinguished from both by looking at femoral markings and differences in the coloring. P. dorsalis tend to be more black and brown in coloring that forms a ring around the femora.

Polistes dorsalis are common to the southeastern region of the United States, as it has been recorded in various states like MA, NY, and FL. This species of wasp are also found to reside throughout North and Central America, for example off the coast of the Bahamas. There have also been groups reported off the coasts of Mexico.

It is characteristic for their nests to be constructed in areas that are highly sheltered and inconspicuous, making them harder for predators to find. For this reason, rock piles and hollowed out logs along with other shelters found close to the ground make good building sites for P. dorsalis nests. However, they can also be commonly found in more open field areas. Within urban areas, P. dorsalis have also chosen to build nests within shrubbery and on the lower border of roofs. Nests are generally small and open- faced with no envelope surround the structure. They are typically 1- tiered and can house up to 75 adult wasps.

Ergot is a type of fungus that tends to grow on cereals and grasses, including rye. The fungus Claviceps spp. infects the flowering head and replaces grain of the rye with an ergot that's a hard and compact fungal mycelium, deep purple in color. In addition, sweet ergot honeydew oozes from these flowering heads. Insects often feed on this exudate and serve as vectors that carry it from source to source. Examination of Polistes dorsalis during their foraging behavior found presence of fungal conidia on various parts of their body including antennae, mouthparts, and in their gut. Therefore, this species of wasp has been identified as one of these insects, potentially transmitting this causal ergot fungus. This is part of the wasp's foraging behavior, as it is focused on exclusively locating fungal infected grasses and collecting this ergot honeydew. P. dorsalis carries the droplets in their mouthparts from infected grass like Paspalum dilatatum Pior, then crawls or moves through hopping flights towards other florets in the area. Polistes can also differentiate infected grass heads from uninfected ones, and usually land on uninfected grasses for grooming purposes only. Stopping on these grooming sites increase the likelihood of them serving as vectors for the spread of fungal infection, in addition to visiting various grass species during foraging.

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