Cuckoo Wasp vs German Wasp

Vespula austriaca compared with Vespula germanica

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cuckoo Wasp	German Wasp
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family same	Vespidae	Vespidae
Genus same	Vespula	Vespula
Species	Vespula austriaca	Vespula germanica

Evolutionary Relationship

Cuckoo Wasp and German Wasp share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Vespula.

Conservation Status

Cuckoo Wasp

LC — Least Concern

German Wasp

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cuckoo Wasp	German Wasp
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cuckoo Wasp

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

German Wasp

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden