About the Polistes snelleni
Polistes snelleni, the Japanese paper wasp, is a common social wasp species in central and northern Japan. P. snelleni is also found in northern China, Korea, and the Russian Far East. Due to the different climates in these regions, P. snelleni is able to adapt to different temperatures and climatic conditions. P. snelleni is typically found in hilly or submontane areas, so they are classified in the semi-highland category.
P. snelleni is in the genus Polistes, with the subgenus Polistella, a paraphyletic subgenus. P. snelleni is most closely related to Polistes stigma bernadii. It is also closely related to Polistes japonicus. P. snelleni has been studied alongside Polistes chinensis, and Polistes biglumis for comparison in worker-worker conflict, which are two other paper wasps.
P. snelleni wasps are black and yellow. The queens are the biggest of the species, and the workers, young queens, and males follow. Workers typically have worn wings that distinguish them from young queens. The weight of new reproductive females (young queens) is 102 mg. Workers can be identified by white-creamy body fat. Workers that have developed... Wikipedia →