Distribution: Western Europe, Asia Minor, Caucasus: Georgia (Kobakhidze, 1962), E Kazakhstan (including Alma-Ata env. and "Syr-Darja", see: Eck, 1981), E Kyrghyzstan (Milko, 1999; Dubatolov, Milko, 2004), Mongolia, NW and NE China, North America. Russia: NW and N of the European part, Caucasus, Siberia, east to Chukotka and Kamchatka, Sakhalin (Tobias, 1978; Eck, 1981; Kurzenko, 1995; Dubatolov, 1998). Additional information on the site of Prof. J.Kojima.

Localities from collections of SZMN, ZIN, and literature: Russia: Kurgan Province: Kurgan; Tyumen Province: Tyumen; Yamal-Nenets Autonomous province: "Sobj-Tal" (River Sob), "Longot-johan-Tal" (River Longot'egan), "Chanema-Fluss" (River Khanmei) (Frieze, 1919), Labytnangi, Shchuch'ya river, Tanlovayakha river, Polar Urals (156 km from the Chum railway station), Tarko-Sale; Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Province: Beryozovo (Frieze, 1919), Oktyabr’skoe; Novosibirsk Province: Nikolaevka (Kuibyshevo district), Novosibirsk; Altai Republic: Dzhazator, Tuskol', Artybash, 15 km SW of Artybash, Kolyushtu Mt. (Nature Reserve Altaiskii); Kyga (Lake Teletskoe); Khakasia: Golets Podlunnyi Mt. (near Kommunar, Shira district), Abakan (Pekkarinen, 1995), Lake Shira (ZIN collection); Evenkia: Baikit (Eck, 1981, ZIN collection); Taimyr: between Noril'sk and Snezhnogorsk, Talnakh, the Laide river (a right tributary of the Malaya Kheta river), Ary-Mas forest (Nature Reserve Taimyrskii); Krasnoyarsk Province: Verkhneimbatskoe, Krasnoyarsk (ZIN collection); Tuva: Khundurgun Pass (Tannu-Ola Mts.), Torgalyg (Khandagaity district); Khol’-Oozhu and Aryskannyg-Khem (Samagaltai district); Irkutsk Province: 7 km S of Slyudyanka; 10 km S of Slyudyanka, Snezhnaya River; Buryatia: Nature Reserve Baikalskii; Chita Province: Chita, Nature Reserve Sokhondinskii, Nizhnii Tsasuchei, 5 km N from Akatui; Aginskii Buryat Autonomous District: Aginskoe (ZIN collection); Yakutia: Marcha (Markha near Yakutsk) (Yamane, 1975), Yakutsk, Tyungyulyu (50 km ENE from Yakutsk), Zhigansk (ZIN collection), Balagannakh in 40 km N from Verkhoyansk (ZIN collection), 232 km on the road from Khandyga to Magadan; Magadan Province: near Aborigen Mt. (Upper Kolyma); Chukotka: Markovo (ZIN collection), Anadyr'; Kamchatka: Karaga (ZIN collection), Shiveluch vulcano (ZIN collection); Khabarovsk Province: Lake Kizi at river Amur down flow (ZIN collection); Sakhalin: River Horonai (Orlovo), Netomi (Terpeniya Peninsula) (Yamane, 1975), Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and suburbs, river Tum' in Bay Nadezhda, Muz'ma in Okha neck, Lyugi and Moskal'vo in Sakhalin Bay, river Bolshoi Longri in Schmidt Peninsula, Astokh Bay E from Pil'tun, 7 km N from Bykov, 75 km N from Okha (Kurzenko, 2004), Solov'evka. Kazakhstan: Seredchikha (Listvyaga Range), Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi (Katunskii Range), 17 and 10 km NNE from Urunkhaika, 10 km WSW from Urunkhaika (Marka-Kol' district). Mongolia: Uvs aimak: Tarjalen (Gusenleitner, 1991); Central aimak: Ulan-Baator (Giordani Soika, 1970). Other records were taken from R.Eck (1981).

Note: the species was recorded also from Chukotka, Kamchatka (Kurzenko, 1995).

Taxa described from Asian Russia: Vespa saxonica var. arctica Friese, 1919, Mém. Acad. Sci. Russ. (8) 28 (15): 1 – "Chanema-Fluss..., Sobj-Tal..., Longot-johan-Tal..., Berezov".

References
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Dubatolov V.V., Milko D.A. 2004. Social wasps of the subfamily Vespinae (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) of the Kyrghyz Republic. - Entomological Science 7: 63-71.
Eck, R. 1981. Zur Verbreitung und Variabilität von Dolichovespula norwegica (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). - Entomologische Abhandlungen. Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde in Dresden 44 (7): 133-152.
Friese, H. 1919. Wespen und Bienen // Memoires de l'Académie des Sciences de Russie. Serie VIII, 28 (15): 1-2.
Giordani Soika, A. 1970. Ergebnisse der zoologischen Forschungen von Dr. Z.Kaszab in der Mongolei. 223. Vespidae und Eumenidae (Hymenoptera). - Annales Historico-natureles Musei Nationalis Hungarici. Pars Zoologica 62: 325-333.
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Kurzenko, N.V. 1995. [Fam. Vespidae]. In: [A key to insects from the Far East of Russia]. Vol. 4. Neuropteroidea, Mecoptera, Hymenoptera. Part 1. - St-Petersburg: 264-324. (In Russian).
Kurzenko, N.V. 2004. [Vespid and Sapygid wasps fauna (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Sapygidae) of Sakhalin Island]. In: [Flora and fauna of Sakhalin Island (Materials of International Sakhalin Island Project)]. Part 1. Dal'nauka, Vladivostok: 193-208. (In Russian).
Kuwayama, S. 1967. Insect fauna of the Southern Kurile Islands. Sapporo: 1-225 p., 1-4 pl., map.
Milko, D.A. 1999. [Notes on paper wasps of the subfamily Vespinae from Kyrghyzstan and adjacent territories]. In: [Problems of protection and stable employment of the Kazakhstan animal biodiversity. Materials of a science conference. Almaty, April, 6-8, 1999]. Almaty: 136-137. (In Russian).
Pekkarinen, A. 1995. Geographic variation and taxonomy of the species of Dolichovespula in the boreal zone of the Holarctic region (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). - Acta Zoologica Fennica 199: 61-70.
Tobias, V.I. 1978. [Superfamily Vespoidea - hornets.1. Family Vespidae]. In: [A key to insects from the European part of the USSR]. T. III. [Hymenoptera]. P. 1. Nauka, Leningrad: 147-152. (In Russian).
Yamane, S. 1975. Taxonomic notes on the subgenus Boreovespula Blüthgen (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) of Japan, with notes on Specimens from Sakhalin. - Kontyû 43 (3): 343-355.