About Synoeca cyanea (Fabricius, 1775)
Synoeca cyanea has a black body marked with metallic blue patches, and it also has a red clypeus. Unlike other species in the genus Synoeca, which do not show any caste differences, S. cyanea sometimes has size differences between its worker and queen castes. In early-stage developing nests, the queen is usually the same size as workers and intermediate individuals, because its reproductive organs are not fully developed. As the colony and nest grow, the queen increases in size due to ovarian development, eventually becoming larger than both workers and intermediates. When males are present in the colony, they are also smaller than the queen. The entire genus Synoeca ranges from Mexico to Argentina, while S. cyanea is native to nearly all of Brazil. Its nests are most commonly found in Restinga and Atlantic Rain Forest habitats, but this wasp is also known to forage and build nests in mangrove areas.
