Vespidae

The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps (such as Polistes fuscatus, Polistes annularis, and Vespula germanica) and many solitary wasps. Each social wasp colony includes a queen and a number of female workers with varying degrees of sterility relative to the queen. In temperate social species, colonies usually only last one year, dying at the onset of winter. New queens and males (drones) are produced towards the end of the summer, and after mating, the queens hibernate over winter in cracks or other sheltered locations. The nests of most species are constructed out of mud, but polistines and vespines use plant fibers, chewed to form a sort of paper (also true of some stenogastrines). Many species are pollen vectors contributing to the pollination of several plants, being potential or even effective pollinators, while others are notable predators of pest insect species.

The subfamilies Polistinae and Vespinae are composed solely of eusocial species, while Eumeninae, Euparagiinae, and Masarinae are all solitary; the Stenogastrinae subfamily contains a variety of forms from solitary to social.

Tau (Warhammer 40,000)

In the fictional setting of Warhammer 40,000, the Tau are a race and a playable army in the tabletop miniatures wargame.

The Tau rule a small interstellar empire on the very fringe of Imperium space. They are a relatively new power on the galactic scene. The Tau dream of uniting the races of the galaxy under their benevolent rule (by force if necessary). The Tau already rule a number of client races, including some annexed human worlds.

Tabletop game mechanics

The Tau are oriented towards ranged combat and generally die quickly in close quarters. They have some of the most powerful ranged weaponry in the game in terms of both range and stopping power, with their railgun being the most powerful of all.

The Tau do not have any psykers or units that specialize in countering psykers, which makes them somewhat more vulnerable to psychic attacks.

All Tau vehicles are classified as flyers, skimmers, or jet pack infantry, meaning they can all move swiftly over difficult terrain.