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Common Paper Wasp (nest)
Polistes sp. (possibly P. variabilis or P. humilis)
-27.4704, 153.101
Field Notes
Description:
Found this nest lying in a garden. and hoping all the hatching is done. Amongst many species possibilities are the Common Large Paper Wasp, aka Australian Paper Wasp (Polistes variabilis) http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_vespoidwasps/PaperWasps.htm and the Common Paper Wasp (Polistes humilis) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes_humilis There are several paper wasp species in Brisbane, but I think these two would be the top contenders. The texture of the nest is definitely paper-like, so that rules out many other wasp species. There are 11 different Polistes species found in Australia, and the Polistes humilis is the most prevalant one. Historically, Polistes variabilis has often been misidentified as a sub-species of Polistes humilis, but, recent photogenic analysis has indicated that these are two separate species.
Habitat:
Shopping centre car park. Nearby parks with native eucalypts, but nearest were native palms. The nest may have been built on the wall of a building, but I'll never know.
Notes:
Here's another paper wasp spotting for comparison: the Large Brown Paper Wasp and its nest - http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/311756145 Note that the larvae holes are hexagonal, whereas the holes of this spotting are more rounded.
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