Location
SPREP LIBRARY
Publisher
Pensoft Publishers
Publication Year:
2026
Publication Place
New Zealand
Physical Description:
27 p
Relevant Countries
Pacific Region
Collection
Language
English
Record ID:
46638
ISSN:
1314-2488
Available online
Subject Heading(s)
Invasive social wasps of the South Pacific
Abstract
This paper presents an annotated inventory of the alien social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae, Vespinae) of the South Pacific Oceanic islands, excluding Australia and Papua New Guinea. Here we include information on invasive social wasp distribution, known introductions and establishment dates, and notes on their invasive ecology. Introduced social wasps in the South Pacific consist of 11 species belonging to the Polistinae (Polistes: n = 7) and Vespinae (Dolichovespula: n = 1; Vespa: n = 1; Vespula: n = 2), nine of which are known to have established across the Pacific. Introduced species were recorded in nine countries and territories (Cook Islands, Easter Island, French Polynesia, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, and Tonga), with the earliest records having happened between the 19th century and the present day. We also provide novel commentary on the ongoing and recently detected incursion of Vespa velutina (an established and impactful invasive species in Europe) into New Zealand. This inventory provides a resource to further understand the invasion biology of social insects and to scaffold risk modelling and management efforts for a taxon of impactful invasive predators in a severely understudied area.
Location
SPREP LIBRARY
Publisher
Pensoft Publishers
Publication Year:
2026
Publication Place
New Zealand
Physical Description:
27 p
Relevant Countries
Pacific Region
Collection
Language
English
Record ID:
46638 Record Created: 05-Mar-2026
Record Modified: 05-Mar-2026