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Polybia sp.

Polybia sp.


Family: Vespidae
Order: Hymenoptera
Class: Insecta
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

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Description


Polybia is a genus of eusocial wasps ranging from Central to South America (Mexico to Brazil, Argentina). Some produce enough honey to be collected and eaten by local people.

Species: There are 59 extant species of Polybia divided into 11 subgenera.

Polybia (Alpha) de Saussure, 1854: 
  • Polybia bifasciata Saussure, 1854
  • Polybia signata Ducke, 1910
  • Polybia quadricincta Saussure, 1854

Polybia (Apopolybia) Richards, 1978: 
  • Polybia jurinei Saussure, 1854
  • Polybia simillima Smith, 1862

Polybia (Cylindroeca) Richards, 1978: 
  • Polybia dimidiata (Olivier, 1791)

Polybia (Formicicola) Richards, 1978: 
  • Polybia rejecta (Fabricius, 1798)

Polybia (Furnariana) Richards, 1978: 
  • Polybia furnaria Ihering, 1904
  • Polybia richardsi Cooper, 1993

Polybia (Myrapetra) White, 1841 : 
  • Polybia aequatorialis Zavattari, 1906
  • Polybia barbouri Bequard, 1943
  • Polybia belemensis Richards, 1970
  • Polybia bicyttarella Richards, 1951
  • Polybia bistriata (Fabricius, 1804)
  • Polybia catillifex Moebius, 1856
  • Polybia dimorpha Richards, 1978
  • Polybia divisoria Richards, 1978
  • Polybia erythrothorax Richards, 1978
  • Polybia fastidiosuscula Saussure, 1854
  • Polybia ficaria Richards, 1978
  • Polybia flavifrons Smith, 1857
  • Polybia juruana Ihering, 1904
  • Polybia nidulatrix Bequard, 1933
  • Polybia occidentalis (Olivier, 1791)
  • Polybia parvulina Richards, 1970
  • Polybia paulista Ihering, 1896
  • Polybia platycephala Richards, 1951
  • Polybia plebeja Saussure, 1867
  • Polybia roraimae Raw, 2000
  • Polybia ruficeps Schrottky, 1902
  • Polybia scrobalis Richards, 1970
  • Polybia scutellaris (White, 1841)
  • Polybia selvana Carpenter, 2002

Polybia (Pedothoeca) Richards, 1978: 
  • Polybia brunnea (Curtis, 1844)
  • Polybia emaciata Lucas, 1879
  • Polybia singularis Ducke, 1909
  • Polybia spinifex Richards, 1978

Polybia (Platypolybia) Richards, 1978: 
  • Polybia incerta Ducke, 1907
  • Polybia procellosa Zavattari, 1906

Polybia (Polybia) Lepeletier, 1836: 
  • Polybia liliacea (Fabricius, 1804)
  • Polybia striata (Fabricius, 1787)

Polybia (Synoecoides) Ducke, 1905: 
  • Polybia depressa (Ducke, 1905)

Polybia (Trichinothorax) Carpenter & Day, 1988: 
  • Polybia affinis Buysson, 1908
  • Polybia batesi Richards, 1978
  • Polybia chrysothorax (Lichtenstein)
  • Polybia eberhardae Cooper, 1993
  • Polybia flavitincta Fox, 1898
  • Polybia gorytoides Fox, 1898
  • Polybia ignobilis (Haliday, 1836)
  • Polybia lugubris Saussure, 1854
  • Polybia micans Ducke, 1904
  • Polybia minarum Ducke, 1906
  • Polybia nigrina Richards, 1978
  • Polybia punctata Buysson, 1908
  • Polybia raui Bequard, 1933
  • Polybia rufitarsis Ducke, 1904
  • Polybia sericea (Olivier, 1792)
  • Polybia tinctipennis Fox, 1898
  • Polybia velutina Ducke, 1907


Fossil species: 
  • Polybia anglica Cockerell, 1921
  • Polybia oblita Cockerell, 1921

Source: Wikipedia, article Polybia sp.. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 18/07/2026.





Geographic distribution


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Species photographs

Count: 34

Foto
Photography ID: 703304
 
Villa Domínico
Buenos Aires
Argentina
09/05/2026
Diego Trillo
Foto
Photography ID: 622675
  Adult

Lanús
Buenos Aires
Argentina
02/19/2025
Lucía Guccione
Foto
Photography ID: 588015
  Adult

Resistencia
Chaco
Argentina
01/03/2009
Peter Vidana
Foto
Photography ID: 512039
  Adult

Cachi
Salta
Argentina
10/11/2022
Eduardo Nadal
Foto
Photography ID: 463760
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
02/19/2017
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 444423
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
05/01/2021
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 441651
  Adult

Salta (Capital)
Salta
Argentina
04/18/2021
Eduardo Vicente Fumarola
Foto
Photography ID: 441650
  Adult

Salta (Capital)
Salta
Argentina
04/18/2021
Eduardo Vicente Fumarola
Foto
Photography ID: 441649
  Adult

Salta (Capital)
Salta
Argentina
04/18/2021
Eduardo Vicente Fumarola
Foto
Photography ID: 437924
  Adult

Vicente López
Buenos Aires
Argentina
03/20/2021
Diego Carus



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Species reports



 Detail of places sorted by number of records






Species records

Count: 33



Page 1 of 4
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
252586005/09/2026ArgentinaBuenos AiresCEAMSE - Complejo Ambiental Villa Domínico, Villa DomínicoDiego Trillo
246476126/04/2026ArgentinaCiudad Autónoma de Buenos AiresReserva Ecológica Costanera Sur (RECS)Gabriel Gorrín Armas
224908319/02/2025ArgentinaBuenos AiresRemedios de escalada, LanúsLucía Guccione
213777525/07/2024ArgentinaEntre RíosParque Unzué, Departamento GualeguaychúRodolfo Julio Velazquez
166405711/10/2022ArgentinaSaltaParque de la hostería del Aca, CachiEduardo Nadal
140250901/05/2021ArgentinaSanta FePaseo del Salado, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
139549718/04/2021ArgentinaSaltaCercanías del Cerro de la Virgen, Salta (Capital)Eduardo Vicente Fumarola
138377820/03/2021ArgentinaBuenos AiresArroyo Güemes, Vicente LópezDiego Carus
132327906/12/2020ArgentinaCiudad Autónoma de Buenos AiresReserva Ecológica Costanera Sur (RECS)Eduardo Nadal
127562822/07/2020ColombiaTolimaFinca Rancho Toledo, Ibague Zona De BoqueronOrlando Tobar Vargas
Page 1 of 4

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Polybia sp. – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 14/09/2026.