Red-wasp
Guides
Polistes major castaneicolor
Sonoran Red Paper Wasp
Polistes major castaneicolor is a large, reddish paper wasp subspecies endemic to the Sonoran Desert region of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. First described by Joseph Charles Bequaert in 1936, it is one of five recognized subspecies of Polistes major. It is distinguished from other P. major subspecies by its predominantly reddish coloration with limited yellow markings.
Polistes rubiginosus
Coarse-backed Red Paper Wasp
Polistes rubiginosus is a social paper wasp endemic to the eastern United States, formerly known as Polistes perplexus until taxonomic revision in 2012. It is one of two large red-colored Polistes species in the eastern US, distinguished from the similar P. carolina by coarser transverse ridging on the propodeum and, in females, silvery pubescent hairs covering the malar area and gena. The species builds uncovered paper nests in sheltered locations and exhibits typical paper wasp ecology as a predator of caterpillars.