Polistes major

Polistes major is a Neotropical species of paper wasp found from South America north into the southern United States. This species is known as avispa de caballo (Spanish: "horse's wasp") in the Dominican Republic.

Subspecies
There are five described subspecies:
 * Polistes major bonaccensis Bequaert, 1937
 * Polistes major castaneicolor Bequaert, 1936
 * Polistes major colombianus Bequaert, 1940
 * Polistes major major Palisot de Beauvois, 1818
 * Polistes major weyrauchi Bequaert, 1940

Description
Polistes major is a larger species compared to allies within its genus, reaching 17 to 22 mm in length, with a wingspan of up to 45 mm. It is second in size only to P. carnifex. The coloration varies by subspecies, though the most widespread subspecies, P. m. major, has a reddish-brown ground color with broad yellow stripes. In contrast, the subspecies P. m. castaneicolor and P. m. weyrauchi are entirely reddish with no yellow markings.