Nesting biology of Zethus dolosus Bingham, 1897 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) in trap nests from Northern Vietnam
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https://doi.org/10.15625/2615-9023/23670Keywords:
Bionomics, life history, nest structure, sex ratio, symbionts, Zethus dolosusAbstract
The nesting biology of Zethus dolosus Bingham, 1897 was investigated in northern Vietnam using trap nests. The females selected nest cavities with diameters ranging from 4 to 11 mm. Nests consisted of a linear series of one to nine brood cells, provisioned with caterpillars, probably Biston spp. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Eggs were attached to the cell ceiling by a thin thread. Nesting activity occurred from mid-May to late October, suggesting a multivoltine life cycle, likely with four generations per year, the last of which overwintered in the prepupal stage. The sex ratio is male-biased. Only 46.3% of the provisioned cells produced adult offspring; the others were either parasitized by three parasitoid species or failed during development for unknown reasons. These findings provide the first detailed account of the nesting biology and life-history traits of Z. dolosus in Vietnam.
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