Vespula

Vespula
German wasp (Vespula germanica)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Vespidae
Subfamily:	Vespinae
Genus:	Vespula
Species
23 species

Vespula is a small genus of social wasps, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Along with members of their sister genus Dolichovespula, they are collectively known by the common name yellowjackets (or yellow jackets) in North America. The Vespula genus has a higher male paternity compared to Dolichovespula norwegica wasps.^[1]Vespula species have a shorter oculomalar space (shown in the figure below right) and a more pronounced tendency to nest underground than Dolichovespula.

Notable species

• Two of the common European species, the German wasp (Vespula germanica) and the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), have been established in North America, southern Africa, New Zealand, and eastern Australia.
• The eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) and western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) are native to North America.

Illustration showing oculomalar space

Species

• Vespula acadica (Sladen, 1918) – forest yellowjacket^[2]
• Vespula arisana (Sonan, 1929)
• Vespula alascensis Packard, 1870^[3]
• Vespula atropilosa (Sladen, 1918) – prairie yellowjacket^[2]
• Vespula austriaca (Panzer, 1799) – red cuckoo wasp
• Vespula consobrina (Saussure, 1854) – blackjacket^[2]
• Vespula flaviceps (Smith, 1870)
• Vespula flavopilosa Jakobson, 1978 – downy yellowjacket^[2]
• Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793) – German wasp, German yellowjacket^[2]
• Vespula inexspectata Eck, 1991
• Vespula infernalis (de Saussure, 1854) – cuckoo yellowjacket^[2]
• Vespula ingrica Birula, 1931
• Vespula intermedia (du Buysson, 1904–05) – northern red-banded yellowjacket^[2]
• Vespula kingdonwardi Archer, 1981
• Vespula koreensis (Rad., 1887)
• Vespula maculifrons (Buysson, 1905) – eastern yellowjacket
• Vespula nursei Archer, 1981
• Vespula orbata (Buysson 1902)
• Vespula pensylvanica (Saussure, 1857) – western yellowjacket^[2]
• Vespula rufa (Linnaeus, 1758) – red wasp
• Vespula rufosignata Eck, 1998
• Vespula shidai Ish., Yam., Wagn., 1980
• Vespula squamosa (Drury, 1770) – southern yellowjacket
• Vespula structor (Smith, 1870)
• Vespula sulphurea (Saussure, 1854) – California yellowjacket^[2]
• Vespula vidua (de Saussure, 1854)^[2]
• Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758) – common wasp

See also

• Paravespula, a subgenus of Vespula

References

1. Foster, K.R.; Francis, L.W.; Ratnieks, N.G.; Peter, A.T. (2001). "Colony kin structure and male production in Dolichovespsula wasp". Molecular Ecology 10: 1003–1010. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.2001.01228.x.
2. Vespula, BugGuide
3. Vespula alascensis, BugGuide