---

The social vespid wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae and Polistinae) was studied in Bhutan during 2014-2016. A total of fifteen species were collected and identified that all of them are reported as new records from Bhutan: Vespa vivax Smith, V. velutina variana van der Vecht, V. fumida van der Vecht, Dolichovespula lama (du Buysson), Vespula flaviceps Smith, V. nursei Archer, V. vulgaris (Linnaeus), V. structor (Smith), Polistes (Polistella) nigritarsus (Cameron), Parapolybia varia (Fabricius), P. nodosa van der Vecht, Ropalidia artifex (de Saussure), R. stigma (Smith), R. ornaticeps (Cameron) and R. rufoplagiata gravelyi (Dover & Rao). Diagnostic characters and geographical distribution of all species are presented.

---

231 species of the family Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Vespoidea) of Iran, in 55 genera belonging to 4 subfamilies Eumeninae (45 genera, 184 species), Masarinae (5 genera, 24 species), Polistinae (2 genera, 17 species) and Vespinae (3 genera, 6 species) are listed. An overall assessment of the distribution pattern of the vespid species in Iran indicates a complex fauna of different biogeographic regions. 111 species are found in both Eastern and Western Palaearctic regions, while 67 species were found only in the Eastern Palaearctic region. Few species (14 species – 6.1%) of various genera are known as elements of central and western Asian area and their area of distribution is not known in Europe (West Palaearctic) and in the Far East. The species that were found both in the Oriental and Afrotropical Regions comprises 11.7 and 15.6% the Iranian vespid fauna, respectively. Many species (48, 20.8%) are exclusively recorded from Iran and as yet there is no record of these species from other countries. The highest percentage of the vespid species are recorded from Sistan-o Baluchestan (42 species, 18.2%), Alborz (42 species, 18.2%), Fars (39 species, 16.9%) and Tehran provinces (38 Species 16.5%), representing the fauna of the Southeastern, North- and South Central of the country.