Observations of neotropical social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) preying on eggs and tadpoles of the frog Engystomops pustulosus (Amphibia, Leptodactylidae)

Abstract

In Trinidad, West Indies the social wasps Angiopolybia pallens and Polybia rejecta come to foam nests of the frog Engystomops pustulosus, where they prey on eggs and tadpoles. Frog offspring in early-stage foam nests appear to be almost immune to predation by the wasps, but they become more vulnerable as the nests age and lose definition.