Editing Vespula

{{Short description|Genus of social wasps}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = ''Vespula''
| image = European wasp white bg.jpg
| image_caption= [[German wasp]] (''Vespula germanica'')
| taxon = Vespula
| authority = [[Carl Gustaf Thomson|Thomson]], 1869
| type_species = ''Vespa austriaca''
| type_species_authority = [[Georg Wolfgang Franz Panzer|Panzer]], 1799<ref name = Carpenter>{{cite journal | author1 = James M. Carpenter | author2 = Jun-ichi Kojima | name-list-style = amp |year = 1997 | title = Checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae) | url = http://research.amnh.org/iz/f/Carpenter_Kojima_1997_ves.pdf | journal = Natural History Bulletin of Ibaraki University | volume = 1 | pages = 51–92}}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
23 species
| synonyms = *''Pseudovespa'' Schmiedeknecht 1881
*''Allovespula'' Blüthgen, 1943
*''Rugovespula'' Archer, 1982
}}

'''''Vespula''''' is a small [[genus]] of [[eusocial|social]] [[wasp]]s, widely distributed in the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. Along with members of their [[sister taxon|sister genus]] ''[[Dolichovespula]]'', they are collectively known by the [[common name]] [[yellowjacket]]s (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|thumb|right|Illustration showing oculomalar space]]

==Species==
{{Div col}}
* ''[[Vespula acadica]]'' <small>(Sladen, 1918)</small> – forest yellowjacket<ref name=BG>[http://bugguide.net/node/view/554/tree ''Vespula''], BugGuide</ref>
* ''[[Vespula akrei]]'' <small>Landolt, 2010</small><ref name=Landolt>{{Cite journal |last1=Landolt |first1=Peter J. |last2=Sierra |first2=José Monzón |last3=Unruh |first3=Thomas R. |last4=Zack |first4=Richard S. |date=2010-09-29 |title=A new species of Vespula, and first record of Vespa crabro L. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) from Guatemala, Central America |url=https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.2629.1.4 |journal=Zootaxa |volume=2629 |issue=1 |pages=61 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.2629.1.4 |issn=1175-5334|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* ''[[Vespula alascensis]]'' <small>Packard, 1870</small> – common yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula arisana]]'' <small>(Sonan, 1929)</small> – Taiwan yellowjacket
* ''[[Vespula atropilosa]]'' <small>(Sladen, 1918)</small> – prairie yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula austriaca]]'' <small>(Panzer, 1799)</small> – red cuckoo wasp
* ''[[Vespula consobrina]]'' <small>(Saussure, 1854)</small> – blackjacket<ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula flaviceps]]'' <small>(Smith, 1870)</small>
* ''[[Vespula flavopilosa]]'' <small>Jacobson, 1978</small> – downy yellowjacket<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jacobson|first1=R. S.|last2=Matthews|first2=R. W.|last3=Macdonald|first3=J. F.|date=1978-05-15|title=A Systematic Study of the Vespula vulgaris Group with a Description of a New Yellowjacket Species in Eastern North America (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)1|journal=Annals of the Entomological Society of America|language=en|volume=71|issue=3|pages=299–312|doi=10.1093/aesa/71.3.299|issn=0013-8746}}</ref><ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula germanica]]'' <small>(Fabricius, 1793)</small> – German wasp, German yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula inexspectata]]'' <small>Eck, 1991</small> – volcano yellowjacket<ref name=Landolt/>
* ''[[Vespula infernalis]]'' <small>(Saussure, 1854)</small> – cuckoo yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula ingrica]]'' <small>Birula, 1931</small>
* ''[[Vespula intermedia]]'' <small>([[Robert du Buysson|Buysson]], 1904–05)</small> – northern red-banded yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula kingdonwardi]]'' <small>Archer, 1981</small><ref name="Archer">{{cite journal |last1=Archer |first1=Michael |title=The Euro-Asian Species of the Vespula rufa group (Hymenoptera, Vespidae), with Despcriptions of Two New Species and One New Subspecies |journal=Kontyû |date=25 March 1981 |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=54–64 |url=https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/bee_lab_an/34}}</ref>
* ''[[Vespula koreensis]]'' <small>(Rad., 1887)</small>
* ''[[Vespula maculifrons]]'' <small>([[Robert du Buysson|Buysson]], 1905)</small> – eastern yellowjacket
* ''[[Vespula nursei]]'' <small>Archer, 1981</small><ref name=Archer/>
* ''[[Vespula orbata]]'' <small>([[Robert du Buysson|Buysson]] 1902)</small>
* ''[[Vespula pensylvanica]]'' <small>(Saussure, 1857)</small> – western yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula rufa]]'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> – red wasp
* ''[[Vespula shidai]]'' <small>Ish., Yam., Wagn., 1980</small><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yamane |first1=Seiki |last2=Wagner |first2=Robert E. |last3=Yamane |first3=Soichi |title=A tentative revision of the subgenus Paravespula of eastern Asia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) |journal=Insecta Matsumurana |series=New series |date=March 1980 |volume=19 |pages=44–46 |hdl=2115/9800 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/2115/9800 |issn=0020-1804}}</ref>
* ''[[Vespula squamosa]]'' <small>(Drury, 1770)</small> – southern yellowjacket
* ''[[Vespula structor]]'' <small>(Smith, 1870)</small>
* ''[[Vespula sulphurea]]'' <small>(Saussure, 1854)</small> – California yellowjacket<ref name=BG/>
* ''[[Vespula vidua]]'' <small>(Saussure, 1854)</small><ref name=BG/> – long yellowjacket or widow yellowjacket
* ''[[Vespula vulgaris]]'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> – common wasp
{{Div col end}}

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" />{{wbr}}

===Immunology===
A high degree of similarity occurs between [[immunogenicity|immunogenic]] fractions of different ''Vespula'' species.<ref group="King et al 1983" name="indistinguishable-phospholipase" />{{wbr}}<ref group="King et al 1983" name="indistinguishable-antigen-5-and-phospholipase" />{{wbr}} Rabbit serum antibodies are unable to distinguish between them.<ref group="King et al 1983" name="indistinguishable-phospholipase" />{{wbr}}<ref group="King et al 1983" name="indistinguishable-antigen-5-and-phospholipase" />{{wbr}}

==References==
{{Wikispecies|Vespula}}
{{Reflist}}

* {{cite journal | last1=King | first1=T.P. | last2=Alagon | first2=A.C. | last3=Kuan | first3=J. | last4=Sobotka | first4=A.K. | last5=Lichtenstein | first5=L.M. | title=Immunochemical studies of yellowjacket venom proteins | journal=[[Molecular Immunology]] | publisher=[[Elsevier]] BV | volume=20 | issue=3 | year=1983 | issn=0161-5890 | doi=10.1016/0161-5890(83)90069-x | pages=297–308| pmid=6865952 }}
{{Reflist|group="King et al 1983"|refs=
 <ref name="indistinguishable-antigen-5-and-phospholipase">
 p.{{spaces}}304, "Identical concentrations of phospholipase-specific antibodies were obtained with immunosorbents containing phospholipase from any of the three species of yellowjackets. This was also the case for antigen 5-specific antibodies. ... The above results indicate that antigen 5s as well as phospholipases from these three species of yellowjackets are antigenically indistinguishable. The findings were confirmed by immunodiffusion. Lines of identity were observed when antigen 5s, or phospholipases, from the three species of yellowjackets were tested with rabbit anti-serum specific for V. maculifrons venom (results not shown)."
</ref>
 <ref name="composition">
 p.{{spaces}}306, "Yellowjacket venom consists mainly of three proteins: antigen 5, hyaluronidase, and phospholipase."
</ref>
 <ref name="indistinguishable-phospholipase">
 p.{{spaces}}307, "The venom phospholipases isolated from the three species of yellowjackets in this report were found to be immunochemically indistinguishable from each other using sera from rabbits immunized with venom from a single species of yellowjacket. Similar findings were obtained with antigen 5."
</ref>
}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1065202}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Vespidae]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Gustaf Thomson]]
[[Category: Hymenoptera genera]]

{{Vespidae-stub}}

[[pl:Osa]]