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Polistes sp.
Larger than the previous wasp species, resting on a lily pad. P. gallicus is a possibility.
Garden pond on limestone outcrop in foothills of Los Serranos mountains.
Thanks for that info., the only Paper Wasp I have found mentioned here so far is P. gallicus, I will continue searching.
The front part of the abdomen is narrowed toward the connection to the thorax, this is a characteristic of the Polistes family. The similar looking Vespula and Dolichovespula families have the front part of the abdomen large till the connexion to the thorax as if the abdomen was truncated.
The most common species in Europe is Polistes dominula but the keys are quite complicated and need many different views to determine which Polistes it is.
Spotted on Jun 5, 2015
Submitted on Jun 5, 2015
