''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 In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

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 ''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 ...

(''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 The eastern yellow jacket or eastern yellowjacket (''Vespula maculifrons'') is a wasp found in eastern North America.Hoffman, Eric A., Kovacs, Jennifer L. and Goodisman, Michael A. D. (August 20, 2008). Genetic structure and breeding system in a ...

(''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 ''Vespula acadica'', also known as the Forest Yellowjacket, is a North American species of eusocial wasp which is part of the ''"rufa"'' group within the genus '' Vespula''. It is a black and yellow wasp that is found in arboreal areas and build ...

'' (Sladen, 1918) – forest yellowjacket''Vespula''
BugGuide * ''

Vespula akrei ''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 A ...

'' Landolt, 2010 * ''

Vespula alascensis ''Vespula alascensis'', also referred to as common yellowjacket, is a species of yellowjacket that inhabits North America. Although it was named in 1870, it was, until 2010, treated as a taxonomic synonym of a related species, ''Vespula vulgaris' ...

'' Packard, 1870 – common yellowjacket * ''

Vespula arisana ''Vespula arisana'', also known as the Taiwan yellowjacket, and Taiwan hornet, is a species of wasp in the family Vespidae. It was described by Jinhaku Sonan in 1929. The species is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found onl ...

'' (Sonan, 1929) – Taiwan yellowjacket * ''

Vespula atropilosa ''Vespula atropilosa'', also known as the prairie yellowjacket, is a black and yellow social insect, social wasp that forms annual colony (biology), colonies. ''Vespula atropilosa'' was formerly a member of the ''Vespa (genus), Vespa'' family. Ma ...

'' (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 ''Vespula consobrina'', commonly known as the blackjacket (not to be confused with ''Dolichovespula maculata'', which is also called “blackjacket”), is a species of stinging wasp in the family Vespidae The Vespidae are a large (nearly 500 ...

'' (Saussure, 1854) – blackjacket * ''

Vespula flaviceps ''Vespula flaviceps'' is a species of social wasp in the genus ''Vespula''. It found in Eastern Asia and Japan. Studies have suggested that the queens of this species may mate with more males and use sperm more evenly. The reason for this is not ...

'' (Smith, 1870) * ''

Vespula flavopilosa ''Vespula flavopilosa'', also known as the downy yellowjacket, is a species of yellowjacket Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. M ...

'' 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 ''Vespula inexspectata'', the volcano yellowjacket, is a species of wasp in the family Vespidae. It was described by Regine Eck in 1994. The species is endemic to Mexico. The holotype was collected on the west slope of Popocatépetl Popocat ...

'' Eck, 1991 – volcano yellowjacket * ''

Vespula infernalis ''Vespula infernalis'' is an obligate parasitic wasp, parasitizing the nests of other species in the genus ''Vespula''. Its common host species is '' V. acadica'' in North America. It is sometimes called the cuckoo yellowjacket wasp due to its ...

'' (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 The eastern yellow jacket or eastern yellowjacket (''Vespula maculifrons'') is a wasp found in eastern North America.Hoffman, Eric A., Kovacs, Jennifer L. and Goodisman, Michael A. D. (August 20, 2008). Genetic structure and breeding system in a ...

'' ( 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 ''Vespula squamosa'', or the southern yellowjacket, is a social wasp. This species can be identified by its distinctive black and yellow patterning and orange queen. This species is typically found in eastern North America, and its territory ext ...

'' (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