Distribution: North-West Africa, Western Europe, north to the Arctic Circle (Pekkarinen, Huldén, 1995), Asia Minor, Armenia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India: Kashmir, Kyrghyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China (Carpenter, Kojima, 1997). Russia: southern regions of the European part, N Caucasus, S Siberia to Transbaikalia (Tobias, 1978; Kurzenko, 1995; Dubatolov, 1998). Additional information on the site of Prof. J.Kojima.

Localities from collections of SZMN, ZIN, and literature: Russia: Orenburg Province (not shown on map!): Nature Reserve "Burtinskaya step" (by courtesy of V.A.Nemkov). Ekaterinburg Province: Sazhina village (Achit District in the European part); Kurgan Province; Tyumen Province: Tyumen vic.; Omsk Province: Omsk (ZIN collection); Tomsk Province: Ust'-Churul'ka (Kargasok district), Kolomino (Podgornoe district), Tomsk and vic.; Novosibirsk Province: Sergovka on the Om' river (Kuibyshevo district), Shipunikha river (Iskitim District), Maslyanino; Altaiskii Krai: Biisk (Birula, 1930), Tulata (Charyshskoe district), 8 km SE Mikhailovka (Tret'yakovo district); Altai Republic: Verkh-Uimon, Katanda, Ust'-Baskaus, Ulagan, Chulyshman, Artybash (Birula, 1930), Ulagan (ZIN collection), Mukhor-Cherga (Cherginskii Range); Kemerovo Province: Filonovo (Yurga district), Shestakovo (Tisul' district), Kuzedeevo (Gornaya Shoriya); Khakasia: Shira (Birula, 1930), Abaza vic.; Tuva: Sosnovka (Bai-Khaak district), Khundurgun Pass (Tannu-Ola Mts.), 13-15 km W of Khandagaity, Irbitei and Samagaltai (Samagaltai district), 10 km N of Seserlig (Turan district); Krasnoyarsk Province: Krasnoyarsk (ZIN collection), Minusinsk, Taseevskoe (Birula, 1930, ZIN collection), Tinskoe in Kansk Mts. (Birula, 1930, ZIN collection); Irkutsk Province: Bunbuiskoe (ZIN collection), Yurty (ZIN collection), Padun on river Angara, Nizhneudinsk (ZIN collection), Balagansk near Irkutsk, Irkutsk (all - Birula, 1930, ZIN collection); Buryatia: Kokorino (Ulan-Ude district), Verkhneudinsk (now - Ulan-Ude, ZIN collection); Ust'-Kiran, Troitskosavsk (Birula, 1930), Chikoi vic. (Kyakhta district); Chita Province: Nizhnii Tsasuchei, Gornyi Zerentui (Birula, 1930), Gazimurskii Zavod; Amur Province: Reinovo near Dzhalinda (Birula, 1930, ZIN collection), Albazin (Birula, 1930). 1 female from Sidemi (Primorskii Krai Province) (Birula, 1930) might belongs to a vagrant or mislabeled specimen.
Kazakhstan: Kokchetau Province: Borovoe (ZIN collection); Serebryansk, Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi (Katunskii Range); Cherepanovskii Belok Mt. (Ivanovskii Range, Glubokoe district), 20 km SE of Leninogorsk; 10 km W of Basterekty and Urunkhaika (Alekseevka district). Mongolia: Bulgan aimak: 23 km NW from Chutag (Giordani Soika, 1976); Central aimak:  Sutszukte near Mt. Noen-Ula (ZIN collection), Sangin (=Songino, 20 km WSW from Ulan-Bator, Birula, 1930, ZIN collection), Fluss Tola (Birula, 1930), Bajanzogt (Giordani Soika, 1970).

Note: the species was recorded also from Irkutsk Province (Kurzenko, 1995).

Taxa described from Asian Russia and adjacent territories: Dolichovespula xinjiangensis Lee, 1986, Sinozool. 10 (4): 195, 199, figs. 1(1), 2(4) - "Xinyuan, Xinjiang Uygur Aut. Reg., 850–1200 m"; also from Altay (not shown).

References
Birula A. 1930. Über die russischen Wespen und ihre geographische Verbreitung (Dritter Beitrag). - Annuaire du Musée Zoologique de l'Académie des Sciences de l'URSS 31 (2): 291-339.
Carpenter, J.M. & Kojima, J. 1997. Checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae). - Nat. Hist. Bull. Ibaraki Univ. 1: 51-92.
Dubatolov, V.V. 1998. Social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae: Polistinae, Vespinae) of Siberia in the collection of Siberian Zoological Museum. - Far Eastern Entomologist 57: 1-11.
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.
Giordani Soika, A. 1976. Vespidi ed Eumenidi (Hymenoptera) raccolti in Mongolia dal Dr. Z. Kaszab. - Acta zoologica Academiae scientiarum hungaricae 22 (3-4): 271-276.
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).
Lee, T.-S. 1986. Notes on the genus Vespula from China (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). - Sinozoologia 10 (4): 201-206. (In Chinese with English summary).
Pekkarinen, A., Huldén, L. 1995. Distribution and phenology of the Vespinae and Polistinae species ineastern Fennoscandia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). - Sahlbergia 2: 99-111.
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).