Vespula

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. 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

• While most species of this genus inhabit North America, four Vespula species inhabit Europe, namely V. austriaca, V. germanica, V. rufa, and V. vulgaris.
• Two common European species, the German wasp (V. germanica) and the common wasp (V. vulgaris), have established in other countries; both species are now found in New Zealand, Australia, and South America, while the former has also been introduced in South America, and the latter in Southern Africa.
• The eastern yellowjacket (V. maculifrons) and western yellowjacket (V. pensylvanica) are native to North America.

File:Wasp morphology.png

Illustration showing oculomalar space

Species

• Vespula acadica (Sladen, 1918) – forest yellowjacket<ref name=BG>Vespula, BugGuide</ref>
• Vespula akrei Landolt, 2010<ref name=Landolt>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Vespula alascensis Packard, 1870 – common yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
• Vespula arisana (Sonan, 1929) – Taiwan yellowjacket
• Vespula atropilosa (Sladen, 1918) – prairie yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
• Vespula austriaca (Panzer, 1799) – red cuckoo wasp
• Vespula consobrina (Saussure, 1854) – blackjacket<ref name=BG/>
• Vespula flaviceps (Smith, 1870)
• Vespula flavopilosa Jacobson, 1978 – downy yellowjacket<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=BG/>
• Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793) – German wasp, German yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
• Vespula inexspectata Eck, 1991 – volcano yellowjacket<ref name=Landolt/>
• Vespula infernalis (Saussure, 1854) – cuckoo yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
• Vespula ingrica Birula, 1931
• Vespula intermedia (Buysson, 1904–05) – northern red-banded yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
• Vespula kingdonwardi Archer, 1981<ref name="Archer">Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Vespula koreensis (Rad., 1887)
• Vespula maculifrons (Buysson, 1905) – eastern yellowjacket
• Vespula nursei Archer, 1981<ref name=Archer/>
• Vespula orbata (Buysson 1902)
• Vespula pensylvanica (Saussure, 1857) – western yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
• Vespula rufa (Linnaeus, 1758) – red wasp
• Vespula shidai Ish., Yam., Wagn., 1980<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Vespula squamosa (Drury, 1770) – southern yellowjacket
• Vespula structor (Smith, 1870)
• Vespula sulphurea (Saussure, 1854) – California yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
• Vespula vidua (Saussure, 1854)<ref name=BG/> – long yellowjacket or widow yellowjacket
• Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758) – common wasp

See also:

• Paravespula, a subgenus of Vespula

Venom

The venom of Vespula is mostly composed of antigen 5, hyaluronidase, and phospholipase.<ref group="King et al 1983" name="composition" />Template:Wbr

Immunology

A high degree of similarity occurs between immunogenic fractions of different Vespula species.<ref group="King et al 1983" name="indistinguishable-phospholipase" />Template:Wbr<ref group="King et al 1983" name="indistinguishable-antigen-5-and-phospholipase" />Template:Wbr Rabbit serum antibodies are unable to distinguish between them.<ref group="King et al 1983" name="indistinguishable-phospholipase" />Template:Wbr<ref group="King et al 1983" name="indistinguishable-antigen-5-and-phospholipase" />Template:Wbr

References

• Template:Cite journal