The Vespoidea of Israel (Hymenoptera)

Abstract

160 species of Vespoidea are reported from Israel and Sinai, among them 11 Masaridae, 140 Eumenidae and 9 Vespidae. The total number of endemic species amounts to 26.5%, being 29% in the Eumenidae. A simplified zoogeographical analysis (Fig. A), in which the endemic species are classified according to their taxonomic relationships, gives the following faunal spectrum: Eurosiberian (ES) element G.6%; Mediterranean (Med.) (chiefly Eastmediterranean) element 47.6%; Iranoturanian (IT) element 5.9%; Eremian element 32.8% and Ethiopian-Paleotropic element 7.2%