Prey diversity of Polistes rothneyi koreanus in different landscapes using DNA barcoding

For the present study, we investigated the prey of Polistes rothneyi koreanus, which is the most common social wasp in South Korea, and the relationship between prey diversity and vegetation cover around their nests. Prey was collected over two 6‐hr sampling from seven nests between July and mid‐August 2015 in Daegu, Gyeongsan and Gunwi in South Korea. To analyse the prey spectrum, we identified species using DNA barcodes; to analyse vegetation cover, we used the normalized difference vegetation index in a 200 m radius around the nests. A total of 338 prey samples were collected, and eight orders, 24 families, and 65 species were identified, demonstrating a much broader prey spectrum than those previously recorded for Polistes spp. Lepidoptera were the most prevalent, with 158 samples and 47 species. Nest 7, located in a rural area, had the highest numbers of samples and species per worker (5.2 and 1.9, respectively). Lepidoptera accounted for over half of the prey spectrum for all nests, and the families Noctuidae and Geometridae accounted for 60% of all Lepidoptera. Tenodera sinensis (Mantodea) and Gabala argentata (Noctuidae) were the most ubiquitous species, collected at five locations. Six species and some genera of prey are designated as pests in South Korea, indicating that P. r. koreanus also has a beneficial role in pest control. A higher vegetation cover was associated with significantly higher prey species diversity (R2 = .4597, p