Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 10, 2026

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, along with members of their sister genus Vespula. In a study on the nesting biology of Dolichovespula, a colony of D. maculata with 771 workers was reported as having the largest recorded population count.

Last revised
Aug 10, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
Dolichovespula
Dolichovespula maculata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Subfamily: Vespinae
Genus: Dolichovespula
Rohwer, 1916
Type species
Vespa maculata
Linnaeus, 17631
Subgenera
  • Dolichovespula Rohwer, 1916
  • Boreovespula Blüthgen, 1943
  • Metavespula Blüthgen, 1943
  • Pseudovespula Bischoff, 1931

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, along with members of their sister genus Vespula. In a study on the nesting biology of Dolichovespula, a colony of D. maculata with 771 workers was reported as having the largest recorded population count.2

Overview

D. arenaria on goldenrod source ↗
Wasp morphology: the oculo-malar space source ↗

Several morphological differences distinguish them from Vespula. The most noticeable is the long face (dolikhos = "long" in Greek). Viewed from the front, Dolichovespula faces are long, while Vespula faces are short and round. The oculomalar space, the distance between the eye and the mandible, is long in Dolichovespula and short in Vespula. Dolichovespula nests are usually aerial, while Vespula spp. often nest underground or in cavities such as wall voids.

Reproduction

All females are born with reproductive capacities. Dolichovespula is different from its sister group Vespula in that some of the workers create haploid offspring that develop into males.3

Species and subspecies

These species/subspecies are recognised:4567

  • Dolichovespula adulterina (Buysson, 1905) – parasitic yellowjacket
  • Dolichovespula adulterina montivaga Sk. Yamane, 1982 – parasitic yellowjacket (subspecies of D. adulterina8)
  • Dolichovespula alpicola Eck 1984 – Rocky Mountain aerial yellowjacket
  • Dolichovespula arctica Rohwer 1916 – parasitic yellowjacket (not a subspecies of D. adulterina4)
  • Dolichovespula arenaria (Fabricius, 1775) – aerial yellowjacket
  • Dolichovespula asiatica Archer, 1981
  • Dolichovespula baileyi Archer, 1987
  • Dolichovespula carolina (Linnaeus, 1767)
  • Dolichovespula flora Archer, 19879
  • Dolichovespula kuami Kim, 1996
  • Dolichovespula lama (Buysson, 1903)
  • Dolichovespula maculata (Linnaeus, 1763) – bald-faced hornet
  • Dolichovespula media (Retz., 1783) – median wasp
  • Dolichovespula norvegicoides (Sladen, 1918) – northern aerial yellowjacket
  • Dolichovespula norwegica (Fabricius 1781) – Norwegian wasp
  • Dolichovespula omissa (Bischoff, 1931) – parasitic yellowjacket
  • Dolichovespula pacifica (Birula, 1930)10
  • Dolichovespula panda Archer, 198010
  • Dolichovespula saxonica (Fabricius, 1793) – Saxon wasp
  • Dolichovespula stigma Lee 1986
  • Dolichovespula sylvestris (Scopoli, 1763) – tree wasp
  • Dolichovespula sylvestris sumptuosa (Buysson, 1905) (subspecies of D. sylvestris11)
  • Dolichovespula xanthicincta Archer, 198010
References

References

  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. Archer, Michael E. (September 2006). Taxonomy, distribution and nesting biology of species of the genus Dolichovespula. Entomological Science 9(3):281–293.
  3. Foster, Kevin R.; Ratnieks, Francis L. W.; Gyllenstrand, Niclas; Thorén, Peter A. (2001). "Colony kin structure and male production in Dolichovespula wasps" (PDF). Molecular Ecology. 10 (4). Wiley Publishing: 1003–1010. Bibcode:2001MolEc..10.1003F. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.2001.01228.x. ISSN 0962-1083. PMID 11348506. S2CID 12009153. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-09-27.
  4. Lynn S. Kimsey; James M. Carpenter (2012). "The Vespinae of North America (Vespidae, Hymenoptera)". Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 28: 37–65. doi:10.3897/jhr.28.3514.
  5. "Dolichovespula". Animal Diversity Web. Regents of the University of Michigan. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  6. "Dolichovespula Rohwer, 1916 Ampiaiset?". funet.fi. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  7. Carpenter, James M.; Kojima, Jun-ichi (1997). "Checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae)" (PDF). Nat. Hist. Bull. Ibaraki Univ.: 51–92.
  8. subspecies of Dolichovespula adulterina
  9. "Archer (1987a) Three new species of Dolichovespula from China (Hymenoptera Vespidae) - Design - The Best Way to Share & Discover Documents". DocGo.Net. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  10. Daglio, Anthony. "Archer (1980) A new species of Dolichovespula (Hymenoptera Vespidae) and subspecies of D.pacifica from China". Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  11. subspecies of Dolichovespula sylvestris
External links