[1] Leipomeles dorsata is part of the tribe Epiponini, a group of neotropical eusocial wasps.

[3] Leipomeles dorsata nests are made of extremely thin material classified as paper.

[3] If there is a petiole present it is covered in a sticky substance that protects the nest against ants, which are brood predators.

They build their nests on the underside of large tree leaves, making them extremely adapted to a niche of the rainforest habitat.

[1] This occurs when a colony is deprived of its yellow egg layers, the brown workers are signaled to become replacements,[1] an example of cyclical oligogyny.

[1] Leipomeles dorsata display trail marking during colony migration, which is rather common for neotropical swarming wasps.

[8] However, what makes L. dorsata unique is that it lacks the Richard's Organ, which is generally associated with pheromone production in other species that exhibit this behavior.

[9] Leipomeles dorsata is a species that does not have queens per se, but rather multiple egg layers that are in charge of reproduction.

[1] Also the ability of male Epiponini to find nests with virgin females contributes to colony survivorship.

[3] Leipomeles dorsata, as with other paper wasps mainly feed on insects and other arthropods that they find by foraging.

[5] The main predators of L. dorsata, as with other neotropical paper wasps, are ants and birds that feed on a variety of insects.

[5] Specifically, army ants present a grave threat to paper wasps in the tropics, and nests and behaviors have evolved as a way to combat this predation pressure; in the case of L. dorsata, this is seen in the chemical defense described below.

[1] In many species that employ this method, the small size of the wasps requires alternate defense systems rather than aggression.