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 (Vespula germanica) and the common wasp (Vespula 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 North America, and the latter in southern Africa. The eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) and western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) are native to North America. Species Vespula acadica (Sladen, 1918) – forest yellowjacket Vespula alascensis Packard, 1870 – common yellowjacket Vespula arisana (Sonan, 1929) Vespula atropilosa (Sladen, 1918) – prairie yellowjacket Vespula austriaca (Panzer, 1799) – red cuckoo wasp Vespula consobrina (Saussure, 1854) – blackjacket Vespula flaviceps (Smith, 1870) Vespula flavopilosa Jacobson, 1978 – downy yellowjacket Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793) – German wasp, German yellowjacket Vespula inexspectata Eck, 1991 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 orientalis (Linnaeus, 1771) - oriental hornet Vespula pensylvanica (Saussure, 1857) – western yellowjacket Vespula rufa (Linnaeus, 1758) – red wasp Vespula rufosignata (Eck, 1998) 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) 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. Immunology There is a high degree of similarity between immunogenic fractions of different Vespulae. Rabbit serum is unable to distinguish between them. References Vespidae Taxa named by Carl Gustaf Thomson pl:Osa