SPECIES DIVERSITY OF WASPS (VESPIDAE: HYMENOPTERA) IN NORTHERN THAILAND

Abstract

Wasp is classified as family Vespidae which plays an important role in ecology such as pollinators and predators. Northern Thailand is highly in geography structure that influence on species diversity of the Vespidae. This study found 17 species of Vespidae that define as 4 subfamilies of Eumeninae (4 species), Polistinae (6 species), Stenogastrinae (1 species) and Vespinae (6 species). All of those species distribute in the different forest type. The highest species diversity was found in the deciduous with bamboo forest as 16 species, following by the hill evergreen forest as 12 species, the deciduous dipterocarp forest as 10 species and the mixed evergreen and the deciduous forest as 7 species, respectively. Moreover, the lowest species diversity was found in the evergreen forest as only 2 species. All of those Vespidae were found in the forest area but only 16 species, except Parischnogaster sp., were found in cultivated area. This indicated that the fertility of forest highly influence to species diversity of wasp. Parischnogaster sp. might be used as the fertility of forest. These data will be useful for the utilization and conservation of wasp.