Vespa orientalis Linnaeus, 1771

(Figs 34 a–b)

Vespa orientalis Linnaeus, 1771: 540, “Oriente” (holotype ♀, Linnaean Society, London).

Vespa turcica Drury, 1773: 74, pl. 39, fig. 1, index, [Turkey] “Smyrna” (destroyed?).

Vespa quadripunctata Forskål, 1775: 84, [Egypt] “ Kahirae ” (Kobenhavn?).

Vespa Crabro fusca Christ, 1791: 216, [Turkey] “Smirna” (destroyed).

Vespa Aegyptiaca Vallot, 1802: 170, “ Égypte ” (type depository unknown).

Vespa Nilotica Vallot, 1802: 170, “ Égypte ” (type depository unknown).

Vespa Jurinei de Saussure, 1854: 133, “L’Albanie” (lectotype ♀ London).

Vespa orientalis var. Zavattarii Guiglia & Capra, 1933: 168, ♀, “Fezzan ... Ubari [Libya] ... Oued Tizzi (Algeria)” (Genova).

Vespa orientalis var. somalica Giordani Soika, 1934: 184, ♀, “ Somalia italiana ... di Carim” (lectotype Venezia).

Vespa orientalis arabica Giordani Soika, 1957: 482, ♀, ♂, “Western Aden Protectorate: Al Milah, 1600 ft.” (holotype ♀, London).

Material examined. Rawalpindi, 02.vi.12, 3♀, 07.vi.12, 10♀ and 1♂, 13.ix.12, 1♀, 12.ix.12, 12♀, 16.ix.12, 5♀, 19.xi.12, 10♀, 20.xii.12, 1♀; Islamabad, 19.ix.12, 9♀; Attock, 19.v.12, 2♀, 20.v.12, 5♀, 26.v.12, 4♀, 27.v.12, 8♀, 30.ix.12, 1♀, 29.ix.12, 1♀; Jhelum, 25-ix-12, 9♀, 4♂; Murree, 14.viii.12, 7♀, 3♂; Chakwal, 16.iv.12, 5♀.

Distribution. This species is the most widespread in western Libya, Italy, to eastern Nepal, India and Pakistan (Carpenter & Kojima 1997, Mahmood et al. 2012).

Comments. Collected specimens were compared with Mahmood et al. (2012). This species can be identified on the basis of following characters: first metasomal segment with narrow yellow band at the apex dorsally; third and fourth metasomal segments completely yellow. New locality records have been provided for this species.