Vespa Linnaeus, 1758

Smith-Pardo, Allan H., Carpenter, James M. & Kimsey, Lynn, 2020, The Diversity of Hornets in the Genus Vespa (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Vespinae), Their Importance and Interceptions in the United States, Insect Systematics and Diversity 4 (3), No. 2, pp. 1-27 : 2

Genus Vespa Linnaeus

Vespa Linnaeus, 1758: 343 . Type species: ‘ Vespa crabro Fab’. (= Vespa crabro Linnaeus, 1758 ); designated by Latreille, 1810: 438.

Macrovespa Dalla Torre, 1904: 64 (subgenus of Vespa Linnaeus ). Type species Vespa crabro Linnaeus, 1758 . Designated by Bequaert, 1930: 64.

Nyctovespa van der Vecht, 1959: 210 (subgenus of Vespa Linnaeus ). Type species: Vespa binghami du Buysson, 1905 , original designation.

Diagnosis. The subfamily Vespinae can be distinguished from other Vespidae by the hind wings lacking an anal lobe ( Fig. 1a ); forewing recurrent veins ending in the same submarginal cell ( Fig. 1b ), marginal cell narrowly pointed along costal vein (not extending away from it) ( Fig. 1b ); pronotal lobe separated from tegula by a distance equal or less than its length ( Fig. 1c ); tarsal claws simple, not bifid ( Fig. 1d ), without parategula ( Fig. 1e ), and metasoma sessile with first tergum truncate ( Fig.1f ).

Species of the genus Vespa can be distinguished from other vespine genera by having both the pronotal and the pretegular carinae ( Fig. 2a ), head vertex with the distance from the posterior ocellus to the posterior margin of vertex more than twice the distance between the posterior ocelli and the compound eye ( Fig. 2b ), the basal metasomal segment is anteriorly rounded ( Fig. 1f ), and the length of the forewing prestigma is three times or more the length of the pterostigma ( Fig. 1b ).

Figures

Figs. 1–4. Vespa morphology. Fig. 1 (a) Hindwing. (b) Forewing apex.(c) Lateral view of pronotal lobe.(e) Hindtarsal claws.(f)Thoracic dorsum. (g) Lateral view of metasomal segment 1. Fig. 2. (a) Lateral view of pronotal lobe. (b) Dorsal view of vertex, i =distance from hind ocellus to posterior head margin, ii=distance between lateral ocellus and eye. (c) Lateral view of metasomal segment 1. (d) Costal margin of forewing apex.(e) Dorsal view of vertex.(c) Front view of clypeus and mandibles. Fig. 3.(a, b) Lateral view of head. (c, d) Lateral view of metasoma.(3a, 3c)V.soror. Fig. 4. (a, b) Lateral view of metasomal tergum 2. (c, d) Lateral view of pronotal carina. (e, f) Front view of clypeus. Figs. 1a-g, 2a, 2b, 3b, 3d, V. crabro. Fig. 2c, V. binghami. Figs. 2d, 2e, V. analis. Fig. 2f, V. bicolor. Figs. 4a, 4e, V. fervida. Fig. 4b, V. multimaculata. Figs. 4c, 4f, V. luctuosa. Fig. 4d, V. affinis.