Insects · La Saladita, Guerrero

Polistes pacificus

Spanish: Avispa papelera del Pacífico

Polistes pacificus (Polistes pacificus)
Photographed by soulbiol on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Polistes pacificus is a Neotropical species of social paper wasp belonging to the subfamily Polistinae and the family Vespidae. P. pacificus can be found distributed throughout most of Central and South America and parts of southern North America. First discovered by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804, P. pacificus is much darker in color than some other more recognizable Polistes wasps, and is one of the insects commonly eaten by several indigenous groups in Venezuela and Colombia. Most often recorded in Aug.

TaxonomyInsecta › Hymenoptera › Eumenidae
Local records1 research-grade observation within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records292 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2025 – 2025
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Insects guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Polistes pacificus (Polistes pacificus) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/polistes-pacificus/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.