.gif)
Eumenes (genus)
Encyclopedia
Eumenes is the type genus
of the subfamily Eumeninae ("potter wasp
s") of Vespidae. It is a large and widespread genus, with over 100 taxa (species and subspecies), mostly occurring in the temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere
. Most species are black or brown, and commonly marked with strikingly contrasting patterns of yellow, white, orange, or red (or combinations thereof). Like most vespids, their wings are folded longitudinally at rest. The first metasoma
l segment is narrow and elongate, creating a "bulbous" appearance to the abdomen.
The genus was named after the Greek
general Eumenes
. The root of the name has been widely used to construct many other genus-level names for potter wasps with petiolated metasoma
like Brachymenes
, Santamenes
, Oreumenes, Pachymenes
, Katamenes
, etc. Most of those groups have been treated as part of the genus Eumenes for a long time.
Type genus
In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...
of the subfamily Eumeninae ("potter wasp
Potter wasp
Potter wasps are a cosmopolitan wasp group presently treated as a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae.-Recognition:...
s") of Vespidae. It is a large and widespread genus, with over 100 taxa (species and subspecies), mostly occurring in the temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
. Most species are black or brown, and commonly marked with strikingly contrasting patterns of yellow, white, orange, or red (or combinations thereof). Like most vespids, their wings are folded longitudinally at rest. The first metasoma
Metasoma
The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory system, and circulatory system, and the apical segments are typically...
l segment is narrow and elongate, creating a "bulbous" appearance to the abdomen.
The genus was named after the Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
general Eumenes
Eumenes
Eumenes of Cardia was a Thracian general and scholar. He participated in the wars of the Diadochi as a supporter of the Macedonian Argead royal house.-Career:...
. The root of the name has been widely used to construct many other genus-level names for potter wasps with petiolated metasoma
Metasoma
The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the mesosoma. In insects, it contains most of the digestive tract, respiratory system, and circulatory system, and the apical segments are typically...
like Brachymenes
Brachymenes
Brachymenes is a small neotropical genus of potter wasps currently containing 2 species: The primarily andean species Brachymenes wagnerianus and the lowland species Brachymenes dyscherus....
, Santamenes
Santamenes
Santamenes is a small but widely distributed neotropical genus of potter wasps.-References:* Giordani Soika, A. 1990. Revisione degli Eumenidi neotropicali appartenenti ai generi Pachymenes Sauss., Santamenes n. gen., Brachymenes G. S., Pseudacaromenes G. S., Stenosigma G. S. e Gamma Zav. . Boll....
, Oreumenes, Pachymenes
Pachymenes
Pachymenes is a small but widely distributed neotropical genus of potter wasps.-References:* Giordani Soika, A. 1990. Revisione degli Eumenidi neotropicali appartenenti ai generi Pachymenes Sauss., Santamenes n. gen., Brachymenes G. S., Pseudacaromenes G. S., Stenosigma G. S. e Gamma Zav. . Boll....
, Katamenes
Katamenes
Katamenes is a genus of potter wasps with species distributed in Europe and Africa....
, etc. Most of those groups have been treated as part of the genus Eumenes for a long time.
External links
- Eumenes wasps of Florida on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site