Non-target fauna reported through VespApp: a citizen science app to control the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) in Spain

Occurrence Observation
Latest version published by Universitat de les Illes Balears on Jul 6, 2026 Universitat de les Illes Balears
Publication date:
July 6, 2026
License:
CC-BY-NC 4.0

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 571 records in English (24 KB) - Update frequency: as needed
Metadata as an EML file download in English (18 KB)
Metadata as an RTF file download in English (9 KB)

Description

The citizen science platform VespApp was launched in May 2016 (the year after the initial detection of the yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina in the Balearic Islands, Spain) to support monitoring during the early stages of the invasion. VespApp integrated multiple communication channels from the beginning, combining both a website (http://vespapp.uib.es/) and a free Android application.VespApp remained active for over eight years (from May 23th, 2016, to December 9th, 2024), and users submitted photographs of both suspicious individual insects and nests, which were subsequently validated or discarded by taxonomic experts to ensure data reliability. Insects were identified based on morphological features, and nest validation was confirmed by the presence of individuals in the images; when the nest was isolated, additional images were requested from the user to ensure taxonomic identification. To ensure nomenclatural accuracy, we standardized the taxonomy using the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) as the primary reference database to verify accepted names, ensuring that all records aligned with current international taxonomic standards. In total, we obtained 571 records from non-target insects (not classified as Vespa velutina). V. velutina records will be integrated into GBIF separately in a paper including unpublished records of invasive alien species of Union concern across Europe and neighboring countries.

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 571 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Herrera C, Guerrero C, Amengual J, Arbona G, Leza M (2026). Non-target fauna reported through VespApp: a citizen science app to control the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) in Spain. Version 2.1. Universitat de les Illes Balears. Occurrence dataset. https://doi.org/10.15470/jl2i4v

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Universitat de les Illes Balears. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: cd0ed6b1-e80b-475f-bda7-df2d534d7773.  Universitat de les Illes Balears publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF Spain.

Keywords

Non-target fauna; invasive species; misidentification; citizen science; Non-target fauna; invasive species; misidentification; citizen science

Contacts

Cayetano Herrera
  • Metadata Provider
Universitat de les Illes Balears
07122 Palma
ES
Carlos Guerrero
  • Originator
Universitat de les Illes Balears
07122 Palma
ES
Joan Amengual
  • Originator
Universitat de les Illes Balears
07122 Palma
ES
Gabriel Arbona
  • Originator
Universitat de les Illes Balears
07122 Palma
ES
Mar Leza
  • Originator
Universitat de les Illes Balears
07122 Palma
ES
Cayetano Herrera
  • Metadata Provider
Universitat de les Illes Balears
07122 Palma
ES

Geographic Coverage

Countries: Spain (568 occurrences), Chile (1), Portugal (1), and Francia (1).

Bounding Coordinates South West [-37.499, -72.35], North East [48.047, 5.902]

Taxonomic Coverage

No Description available

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Insecta
Order Diptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera
Family Asilidae, Halictidae, Sphecidae, Scoliidae, Pentatomidae, Stratiomyidae, Eumenidae, Notodontidae, Syrphidae, Sphingidae, Gryllotalpidae, Megachilidae, Culicidae, Crabronidae, Vespidae, Apidae

Temporal Coverage

Start Date / End Date 2016-05-23 / 2024-07-25

Project Data

No Description available

Title VespApp: citizen science for the detection of the yellow-legged hornet
Identifier VespApp
Project Award Postdoctoral grant Margalida Comas

Conselleria d'Educació, Universitat i Recerca del Govern de les Illes Balears
POSTDOC2024_4

MEPRO 14238/2030

Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca i Medi Natural del Govern de les Illes Balears
MEPRO 14238/2030

AI BeeGuard: SafeGUARDing honeyBEEs from invasive hornets through a multi-approach with Artificial Intelligence

Agencia Estatal de Investigación (MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033)
PID2023-149487OA-I00

Acció Especial AAEE47/2015

Conselleria d'Innovació, Recerca i Turisme del Govern de les Illes Balears
AAEE47/2015

Habitissimo

Habitissimo

Cátedra Santander-UIB

Cátedra Santander-UIB

The personnel involved in the project:

Cayetano Herrera
  • Content Provider

Additional Metadata

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Purpose
Alternative Identifiers 10.15470/jl2i4v