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  3. Vespa velutina

Vespa velutina

Basic information
Scientific name Vespa velutina (No picture)
Common names Yellow-legged hornet, Asian black hornet,
Higher taxon Vespidae, Vespoidea, Hymenoptera
Natural range Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia
Habitat Rural and urban area.
Invasion information
Range in Japan Tsushima Is. in Nagasaki Pref. Range in Japan
Origin Unknown
Date It was firstly recorded in 2013, therefore it had invaded in 2012.
Route Unknown
Impact Impact for the bee industry. Competition with native hornet species. Disrupting pollination services.
Regulation in Japan Import, transport and keeping are prohibited in Japan by the Invasive Alien Species Act.
Introduced range in other countries France (before 2004), South Korea (since 2003), Spain (since 2010).
Reference Notes
  • Carpenter & Kojima (1997) Checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Natural History Bulletin of Ibaraki University. 1, 51-92
  • Choi et al. (2012) Distribution, spread, and impact of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina in South Korea. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology. 15, 473-477
  • Villemant et al. (2011) Predicting the invasion risk by the alien bee-hawking Yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax across Europe and other continents with niche models. Biological Conservation. 144, 2142-2150
  • GB Non-native Species Secretariat (Accessed on 2013-12-03)
  • vespa-biocolor.net (Accessed on 2013-12-03)
  • etc.