''Vespula'' is a small

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...

s, widely distributed in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

. Along with members of their sister genus ''

Dolichovespula ''Dolichovespula'' is a small genus of social wasps distributed widely throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The yellow and black members of the genus are known by the common name yellowjackets in North America, such as ''Dolichovespula norwegica'' ...

'', they are collectively known by the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

yellowjacket Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...

s (or yellow jackets) in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. ''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 ''Vespula germanica'', known colloquially as the European wasp, German wasp, or German yellowjacket, is a species of wasp found in much of the Northern Hemisphere, native to Europe, Northern Africa, and temperate Asia. It has spread and become ...

(''V. germanica'') and the common wasp (''V. vulgaris''), have established in other countries; both species are now found in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and South America, while the former has also been introduced in South America, and the latter in

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

. * The eastern yellowjacket (''V. maculifrons'') and

western yellowjacket ''Vespula pensylvanica'', the western yellowjacket, is a Nearctic species of wasp in the genus ''Vespula''.Akre, Roger D., Albert Greene, John F. MacDonald, Peter J. Landolt, and Harry G. Davis. Agricultural Handbook Number 552. United States Dep ...

('' V. pensylvanica'') are native to North America. Wasp morphology

Species

* '' Vespula acadica'' (Sladen, 1918) – forest yellowjacket''Vespula''
BugGuide * '' Vespula akrei'' Landolt, 2010 * '' Vespula alascensis'' Packard, 1870 – common yellowjacket * '' Vespula arisana'' (Sonan, 1929) – Taiwan yellowjacket * '' Vespula atropilosa'' (Sladen, 1918) – prairie yellowjacket * ''

Vespula austriaca ''Vespula austriaca'' is an obligate parasitic wasp, parasitizing the nests of other species in the genus '' Vespula'' in the Old World. Its common host species include '' V. rufa'' in Europe, Japan, and East Siberia.''V. austriaca ''wasps p ...

'' (Panzer, 1799) – red cuckoo wasp * '' Vespula consobrina'' (Saussure, 1854) – blackjacket * '' Vespula flaviceps'' (Smith, 1870) * '' Vespula flavopilosa'' Jacobson, 1978 – downy yellowjacket * ''

Vespula germanica ''Vespula germanica'', known colloquially as the European wasp, German wasp, or German yellowjacket, is a species of wasp found in much of the Northern Hemisphere, native to Europe, Northern Africa, and temperate Asia. It has spread and become ...

'' (Fabricius, 1793) – German wasp, German yellowjacket * '' Vespula inexspectata'' Eck, 1991 – volcano yellowjacket * '' Vespula infernalis'' (Saussure, 1854) – cuckoo yellowjacket * '' Vespula ingrica'' Birula, 1931 * '' Vespula intermedia'' ( Buysson, 1904–05) – northern red-banded yellowjacket * '' 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 * '' Vespula rufa'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – red wasp * '' Vespula shidai'' Ish., Yam., Wagn., 1980 * '' Vespula squamosa'' (Drury, 1770) – southern yellowjacket * '' Vespula structor'' (Smith, 1870) * '' Vespula sulphurea'' (Saussure, 1854) – California yellowjacket * '' Vespula vidua'' (Saussure, 1854) – long yellowjacket or widow yellowjacket * ''

Vespula vulgaris ''Vespula vulgaris'', known as the common wasp, is a species found in regions that include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, India, China, New Zealand and Australia. It is sometimes known in English as the European wasp, but the same name i ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – common wasp See also: *''

Paravespula ''Paravespula'' is a small subgenus of yellowjacket wasps, including some of the best-known wasp species in the world: the German wasp, ''Vespula germanica''; the eastern yellowjacket ''Vespula maculifrons''; the western yellowjacket ''Vespula ...

'', a subgenus of ''Vespula''

Venom

The venom of ''Vespula'' is mostly composed of antigen 5,

hyaluronidase Hyaluronidases are a family of enzymes that catalyse the degradation of hyaluronic acid. Karl Meyer classified these enzymes in 1971, into three distinct groups, a scheme based on the enzyme reaction products. The three main types of hyaluroni ...

, and

phospholipase A phospholipase is an enzyme that hydrolyzes phospholipids into fatty acids and other lipophilic substances. There are four major classes, termed A, B, C, and D, which are distinguished by the type of reaction which they catalyze: *Phospholipase ...

Immunology

A high degree of similarity occurs between

immunogenic Immunogenicity is the ability of a foreign substance, such as an antigen, to provoke an immune response in the body of a human or other animal. It may be wanted or unwanted: * Wanted immunogenicity typically relates to vaccines, where the injectio ...

fractions of different ''Vespula'' species. Rabbit serum antibodies are unable to distinguish between them.

References

* Vespidae Taxa named by Carl Gustaf Thomson Hymenoptera genera {{Vespidae-stub pl:Osa