Vespa luctuosa


Vespa luctuosa is a species of hornet which is endemic to the Philippines. The main subspecies is Vespa luctuosa luctuosa. Other known subspecies include Vespa luctuosa luzonensis and Vespa luctuosa negrosensis. Vespa luctuosa is known for its potent venom.

Venom characteristics

The venom of Vespa luctuosa has the highest recorded toxicity to mice of any wasp species tested. The of the venom is 1.6 mg/kg. The toxicity per weight of Vespa luctuosa venom is higher than that of the larger Asian giant hornet, which has an LD50 of 4.0 mg/kg, but which is responsible for many more human deaths than Vespa luctuosa due to the considerably larger volume of venom injected per sting.
In addition to being the most venomous known wasp, Vespa luctuosa has one of the highest recorded toxicities of any known insect venom. Only harvester ant venom from the genus Pogonomyrmex, as well as the unrelated ant species Ectatomma tuberculatum, are known to be more toxic.
In addition to pain at the sting site, symptoms of severe Vespa luctuosa envenomation include convulsions, cyanosis, and hematuria.

Nesting

Vespa luctuosa tends to build hanging nests in trees and bushes. It only rarely builds nests in human structures and dwellings. The nests built by Vespa luctuosa are generally spherical during the early stages of their construction. After the nests have developed in size, they tend to take a more elongated, vertical orientation.