Contribution to the knowledge of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of Turkey, with a checklist of the Turkish species

This study is based upon material of the family Vespidae collected at a series of localities in Turkey between 1964 and 2010 and a review of the previous studies on the Vespidae of Turkey. Stenodynerus trotzinai (Morawitz, 1895) and Antepipona dentella Gusenleitner, 1991 are new records for the Turkish fauna. With these 2 additions and the data from previous studies, a total of 298 species and subspecies from 53 genera belonging to 4 subfamilies, Vespinae, Polistinae, Eumeninae, and Masarinae, of the family Vespidae have now been recorded from Turkey. Among them, the type localities of 3 genera, 71 species, and 16 subspecies of Vespidae are situated in Turkey. Separately, 65 species and subspecies are considered to be endemic. In addition, new localities were found for some species and subspecies that have already been reported from Turkey. Furthermore, the authors present an updated checklist of the Turkish fauna of Vespidae.