First record of Vespa soror in Spain
During a monitoring programme conducted between March 2022 and October 2023 to detect the impact of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina (Hymenoptera: Vespidae – EU IAS of concern) on local invertebrate populations in Spain, Sánchez et al. (2024) found four female specimens of the southern giant hornet Vespa soror (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), a species originating in Asia (north-eastern India, northern Myanmar, northern Thailand, Laos, northern Vietnam, and southern China).
V. soror was caught in traps in northern Spain in Granda (municipality of Siero, Asturias). The identity of V. soror was confirmed by morphological and molecular testing. The finding of V. soror is a cause for concern as it is an aggressive predator of several invertebrates including butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, wasps, bees and even small vertebrates such as geckos. The authors suggest V. soror was introduced during hibernation as a stowaway in trade. This is believed to be the first record of V. soror in Spain and in Europe.
Sources
Sánchez O, Castro L, Fueyo Á, Borrell YJ, Arias A (2024) Early alarm on the first occurrence of the southern giant hornet Vespa soror du Buysson, 1905 (Vespidae) in Europe. Ecology and Evolution 14, e70502 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70502