Family VESPIDAE
Potter Wasps, Social Wasps
Introduction
The Vespidae is a cosmopolitan family that contains small to large, solitary and social wasps. Carpenter (1982) has proposed a reclassification of the Vespoidea, with the single family Vespidae divided into six subfamilies. Under this scheme, Australian species fall into the subfamilies Masarinae, Eumeninae and Polistinae, with Vespula in the Vespinae. Brothers (1975) reviewed the phylogeny and classification of aculeate Hymenoptera and divided them into three superfamilies: the Bethyloidea, the Vespoidea including the Scolioidea, Pompiloidea and Formicoidea of Riek (1970) and the Sphecoidea including Apoidea of Riek (1970). Further phylogenetic studies by Carpenter (1987, 1989, 1993, 1997) have reinforced the validity of this scheme.
Australian Vespidae are referred to four subfamilies. They total 433 described species and subspecies, in 40 genera. The subfamilial details are in the introductory sections to each subfamily.
General References
Brothers, D.J. 1975. Phylogeny and classification of the aculeate Hymenoptera, with special reference to the Mutillidae. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 50: 483-648
Carpenter, J.M. 1982. The phylogenetic relationships and natural classification of the Vespoidea (Hymenoptera). Systematic Entomology 7: 11-38
Carpenter, J.M. 1987. Phylogenetic relationships and classification of the Vespinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Systematic Entomology 12: 413-431
Carpenter, J.M. 1989. The phylogentic system of the Gayellini (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Masarinae). Psyche (Cambridge) 95: 211-241
Carpenter, J.M. 1993. Biogeographic patterns in the Vespidae (Hymenoptera): Two views of Africa and South America. pp. 139-155 in Goldblatt, P. (ed.). Biological Relationships between Africa and South America. New Haven : Yale University Press
Carpenter, J.M. 1997. Generic classification of the Australian Pollen Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Masarinae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 69(4 (supplement)): 384-400 [Date published 15/01/97]
Riek, E.F. 1970. Hymenoptera. pp. 867-959 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Carlton : Melbourne University Press xiv 1029 pp.