Mc. Lorenzi et F. Filippone, Opportunistic discrimination of alien eggs by social wasps (Polistes biglumis, Hymenoptera Vespidae): a defense against social parasitism?, BEHAV ECO S, 48(5), 2000, pp. 402-406
Foundresses of the social wasp Polistes biglumis were tested to see whether
they were able to recognize alien eggs experimentally introduced into thei
r own nests. Foundresses removed alien conspecific reproductive-destined eg
gs while they accepted worker-destined eggs. The results indicate that soci
al wasps discriminate among eggs and that they discriminate against alien e
ggs destined to produce unrelated reproductives. P. biglumis is a strictly
solitary founding species, with no reproductive competition within colonies
; thus, brood discrimination abilities could have evolved as a counteradapt
ation against intra- and inter-specific brood parasitism.