Surinam Warrior Wasp

Appearance

''S. surinama'' is a medium-sized wasp that is blueish-black in color and can appear metallic in certain light. It has dark, almost black wings. Like other members of the genus ''Synoeca'', ''S. surinama'' has several specific identifying characteristics.

More specifically, the head of ''S. surinama'' has a projecting vertex. Within ''Synoeca'', there is some variation regarding how concentrated punctation is on the first abdominal segment.

Unlike ''S. chalibea'' and ''S. virginea'', which have dense propodeal punctation, ''S. surinama'', ''S. cyanea'', and ''S. septentrionalis'' have less dorsal and lateral propodeal punctation.

Nests of S. ''surinama'' are made from short chip material, rather than the long fibers used by some other ''Synoeca'' species. The comb has an anchored, pulp foundation, and the envelope is reinforced by blots.

These nests do not have a secondary envelope, and the primary envelope is not as wide on the bottom as it is on the top. The nests also have a central dorsal ridge and a keel, rather than a groove. The entrances to ''S. surinama'' nests are formed as a separate structure away from the last gap, have a short, collar-like structure, and are centrally located toward the periphery of the envelope. Secondary combs are either absent or contiguous with the primary comb, and comb expansion occurs gradually. During nest construction, most cells are laid out before the envelope is closed.

Distribution

''S. surinama'' is found in regions with tropical climates in South America. It is most commonly found in Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil Guyana, Suriname , French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, and the northern parts of Bolivia.

Behavior

''S. surinama, ''like many other related wasp species, exhibit swarming behavior. Swarming behavior is a collective behavior in which certain events or stimuli cause many individuals of the same species to fly in close aggregation with one another, often appearing to onlookers as a giant cloud of moving insects.

Once an event worthy to cause a swarm has occurred, ''S. surinama ''exhibit synchronous alarm behavior such as buzzing runs and loop flights, which more individuals continue to participate in until building activity comes to a halt. Not all stimuli cause the same response, however, since brood composition affects a colony’s readiness to swarm.

Colonies that have an empty nest or a very immature brood that would require a lot of resources to rear may be more ready to immediately swarm in response to danger than a colony with a large brood that is close to maturity. This is because staying to nurture this more developed brood for a short time might have a huge reproductive payoff in the form of many new workers.

Habitat

It can be found in specific habitats such as wet grassland, scattered shrub area, sparse shrubs and trees, and gallery forest. During the dry season, ''S. surinama ''nests on tree trunks in gallery forest, but it forages in all four of the aforementioned habitats because it is robust enough to fly a relatively long distance from its nest. It is one of the most common species of social wasp in Central Brazil.

Reproduction

In ''S. surinama,'' workers who do not lay eggs are virtually identical to queens that do; however, egglayers are the only caste that experiences ovarian development. Despite the fact that egglayers have enhanced ovary development, they do not increase in size and morphometric differences are minimally, if at all, present.

Cultural

''S. surinama ''functions as a pollinator, and is able to carry pollen on its legs and head. It has been known to visit flowers of the ''Bauhinia guianensis,'' which contain nectar, so it is likely that these wasps consume nectar as a carbohydrate energy source. ''S. surinama ''is most likely to visit these flowers in the morning and afternoon.