Nidification of Polybia rejecta (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) associated to Azteca chartifex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a fragment of Atlantic Forest, in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Records to nesting between associated social wasp Polybia rejecta (Fabricius, 1798) and the ant Azteca chartifex Forel, 1896 in the Parque Estadual do Rio Doce, Minas Gerais, are reported. This association is reported for the first time in this biome. Twelve colonies of P. rejecta founded close to nests of A. chartifex were observed. The wasp colonies were founded at a distance of about 10-20 cm from the ant nest and they did not overlap. The nests of wasps were smaller compared to ant, but the coloring was similar protective casing, making it difficult to differentiate between the wasp nest and the ant.