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The term 'hornet' is sometimes used to refer to a number of different species of wasp, but is more properly applied only to the large wasps of the genus Vespa. Currently there have been no confirmed reports of hornets in mainland Australia, although the Asian species Vespa tropica is found in New Guinea and has been recorded as having reached the Australian islands in the Torres Strait. Members of this genus are typically very aggressive, and can inflict a particularly painful sting. |
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Last updated: July 2005
