Vespa Linneaus

Vespa Linneaus, 1758. Type species: Vespa crabro Linneaus, 1758.

	Vespa orientalis Linnaeus, 1771
Distribution	Afrotropical region: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen. Introduced into Madagascar. Also widespread in Palaearctic and Oriental regions.
Biology	Social, constructing concealed communal paper nests often under the ground.
References	*Bequaert, J.C. 1918. A revision of the Vespidae of the Belgian Congo based on the collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition: with a list of Ethiopian diplopterous wasps. Bulletin of the AMNH* 39: 1-384. Perrard A, Pickett KM, Villemant C, Kojima J, Carpenter J. 2013*. Phylogeny of hornets: a total evidence approach (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Vespinae, Vespa ). Journal of Hymenoptera Research* 32: 1–15. doi:10.3897/jhr.32.4685 Smith-Pardo, A.H. Carpenter, J.M. Kimsey L. 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) https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixaa006
Credits	Photographic credits embedded in images. Map illustration © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).