Parapolybia varia is a slender that builds a long, pale paper nest with no outer cover, hanging from a single stalk. It lives across much of Asia, including India, Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, and isn't found in the United States. In Taiwan, its comb shape has earned it the nickname "ox tongue wasp".
Appearance
- Appearance
- A medium-sized wasp about 0.6 in (15 mm) long with a long, thin waist that makes it look much skinnier than a typical paper wasp.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Forests
- Shrubs and low trees
- Range
- Widespread across Asia, including India, Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Not found in North America.
- Preferred conditions
- In Taiwan it lives at low to middle elevations and usually nests in low shrubs and trees about 3–10 ft (1–3 m) off the ground.
Behavior
- Social life
- A social wasp with a queen and workers. In Taiwan, colonies are larger than those of the more familiar umbrella-nest paper wasps and often reach several hundred individuals.
Life cycle
- Nest
- Made of chewed plant fiber mixed with saliva. In Taiwan, the light yellow comb has no covering, hangs almost level from one stalk, and curves like a ladle. As the colony grows, new combs are added near the base, running roughly parallel to the first.
Cautions
- Cautions
- It can sting. In Taiwan it is described as fairly calm, but if the nest is disturbed many wasps may attack together.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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