Polistes metricus

Polistes metricus (metric paper wasp or metricus paper wasp) is a wasp native to North America. In the United States, it ranges throughout the southern Midwest, the South, and as far northeast as New York, but has recently been spotted in southwest Ontario. A single female specimen has also been reported from Dryden, Maine. Polistes metricus is dark colored, with yellow tarsi and black tibia. Nests of Polistes metricus can be found attached to the sides of buildings, trees, and shrubbery. Like other Polistes species, P. metricus, has evolved eusociality and demonstrates behaviors including nestmate discrimination and local mate competition. Like the other members of the order Hymenoptera, Polistes metricus has a haplodiploid genetic system. Nests of P. metricus have distinct characteristics like the ability to share nests with other Polistes species and reuse nests multiple seasons. Another distinction is that Polistes metricus foragers take off from their nests depending on how long their trip will be. For short flights, they exit the nest flying horizontally, while for long flights, they exit the nest flying straight up into a high altitude before pursuing their direction. P. metricus prefers to use soft-bodied prey, especially caterpillars, to feed their larvae. This species was described by Thomas Say in 1831. Rau referred to this species as Polistes pallipes or P. fuscatus pallipes in a number of his publications. However, references to P. metricus as either P. pallipes or P. fuscatus pallipes are due to confusion with a dark morph of P. fuscatus, so the name P. pallipes is rather retained as a synonym of P. fuscatus and not of P. metricus. P. metricus is found to be most closely related to P. carolina. The most recent phylogenetic analysis shows that both share a common ancestor with P. bellicosus. P. metricus has a dark ferruginous (rusty) color with black markings on its thorax and a mostly black abdomen. Its tibia is black, and the tarsi are yellow. A black spot, separate from the antennae, contains the three ocelli.