Vespula
German wasp (Vespula germanica)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Subfamily: Vespinae
Genus: Vespula
Thomson, 1869
Type species
Vespa austriaca
Panzer, 1799[1]
Species

23 species

Synonyms
  • Pseudovespa Schmiedeknecht 1881
  • Allovespula Blüthgen, 1943
  • Rugovespula Archer, 1982

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

Illustration showing oculomalar space

Species

See also:

Venom

The venom of Vespula is mostly composed of antigen 5, hyaluronidase, and phospholipase.[King et al 1983 1]​

Immunology

A high degree of similarity occurs between immunogenic fractions of different Vespula species.[King et al 1983 2]​[King et al 1983 3]​ Rabbit serum antibodies are unable to distinguish between them.[King et al 1983 2]​[King et al 1983 3]​

References

Wikispecies has information related to Vespula.
  1. ^ James M. Carpenter & Jun-ichi Kojima (1997). "Checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae)" (PDF). Natural History Bulletin of Ibaraki University. 1: 51–92.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Vespula, BugGuide
  3. ^ a b Landolt, Peter J.; Sierra, José Monzón; Unruh, Thomas R.; Zack, Richard S. (2010-09-29). "A new species of Vespula, and first record of Vespa crabro L. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) from Guatemala, Central America". Zootaxa. 2629 (1): 61. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2629.1.4. ISSN 1175-5334.
  4. ^ Jacobson, R. S.; Matthews, R. W.; Macdonald, J. F. (1978-05-15). "A Systematic Study of the Vespula vulgaris Group with a Description of a New Yellowjacket Species in Eastern North America (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)1". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 71 (3): 299–312. doi:10.1093/aesa/71.3.299. ISSN 0013-8746.
  5. ^ a b Archer, Michael (25 March 1981). "The Euro-Asian Species of the Vespula rufa group (Hymenoptera, Vespidae), with Despcriptions of Two New Species and One New Subspecies". Kontyû. 49 (1): 54–64.
  6. ^ Yamane, Seiki; Wagner, Robert E.; Yamane, Soichi (March 1980). "A tentative revision of the subgenus Paravespula of eastern Asia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)". Insecta Matsumurana. New series. 19: 44–46. hdl:2115/9800. ISSN 0020-1804.
  1. ^ p. 306, "Yellowjacket venom consists mainly of three proteins: antigen 5, hyaluronidase, and phospholipase."
  2. ^ a b p. 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."
  3. ^ a b p. 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)."


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