Polistinae biogeography in the Neotropics: history and prospects

Abstract

Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current patterns of distribution with environmental changes. This well-known and very diverse group of insects is highly endemic in the Neotropics, but environmental factors influencing the enormous biological diversity in the region are not well established. Exploring evidence on the two main hypotheses concerning the origins and early colonization processes of paper wasps we position in favor of the Gondwanan hypothesis and discuss change-promoter processes in the Neotropics whose effects might have altered the distributions and facilitated the speciation of Polistinae in the region. Furthermore, based on recent advances in biogeography, mostly in the integration of ecological and evolutionary information, we highlight directions for future biogeographical research within the group.