Ropalidia aulaeum Polasek 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Polašek, Ozren
name: Onah, Ikechukwu
name: Kehinde, Tope
name: Rojo, Veronica
name: Noort, Simon Van
name: Carpenter, James M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Vespidae
Ropalidia
Ropalidia aulaeum

description: Ropalidia aulaeum Polašek sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 654582D2-EBAC-45FE-AB03-CB3638AB295E
Type specimens. Holotype: La Maboke (M’baiki), Central African Republic, 1♀ (MNHN). Paratypes: Kama, DR Congo, 4♀♀ (CAS); Lualuaba, DR Congo, 4♀♀ (RMCA); Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, 1♀ (MNHN); Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, 1♀ (MSNV); Dimonika, Republic of the Congo, 1♀ (MNHN). The total number of examined specimens: 12♀♀.
Diagnosis. Large species that substantially resembles R. brazzai (DU BUYSSON); this species is characterized by very strong punctures, reticulate propodeal excavation, long setae on the body with asetose eyes and very developed propodeal carina. However, in contrast to the similar R. brazzai (DU BUYSSON), R. auleum sp. nov. has medially directed arched superior propodeal carina, which encloses an area that resembles a theatre curtain.
Description. Female. Wing length: 10.4–12.1 mm. Colour. Basal colour dark-brown or blackish (Figure 81a, b). Thin yellowish lines can be present along inner eye margin, gena, clypeus and mandible, and underneath pronotal carina (Figure 20 aa). One paratype has reddish T1, reddish line at posterior scutellum margin and reddish markings on femur I and II. Remaining terga in the basal body colour, terminal two commonly reddish. Legs somewhat darker the basal body colour; tibia and tarsi dark brown or black (Figure 81a). Wings slightly yellowish, densely trichose; trichomes long (Figure 81b). Stigma dark brown, opaque. Apical spot faintly brownish, rounded, does not reach stigma (Figure 81a, b). Antenna dark-brown to blackish, equally coloured on both sides, scape reddish underneath (Figure 20 aa).
Head. Clypeus wider than long (Figure 20 aa). Upes straight, OCA weakly developed, juxtamandibular lobe developed, its excavation of intermediate depth (Figure 20 aa). Clypeus largely and shallowly punctate at base. Frons coarsely punctate, with punctures less a diameter apart; punctures are diminished towards occipital carina. Gena thicker than eye (Figure 20 bb). Occipital carina complete (in contrast to some specimens of R. brazzai DU BUYSSON, which have evanescing occipital carina close to mandible). Clypeus and frons covered by long whitish-yellowish setae, those on vertex with bent tips. Setae on gena longer, with evenly bent tips towards mandible (Figure 20 aa). Eye setae very short or absent (as opposed to very long and dense in R. brazzai DU BUYSSON). Ocellar triangle slightly acute forward. Scape about as long as AF1, pedicel longer than wide, AF2 1.2–1.4 times as long as wide (Figure 20 aa) and covered by longer straight protruding setae.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma slightly narrower than head width, coarsely punctate. Pronotal carina strong and sinuate. Mesonotum with large and shallow punctures, with occasional conflux between them; parapsidal furrows not developed or barely visible in changed punctures surface. Mesopleuron equally coarsely punctate. Metapleuron with shallow and sparse punctures, denser in postero-dorsal half. Median scutellar carina barely developed, only party visible. Metanotum wide, covered by coarse punctures with very small posterior impunctate shiny triangle. Median tooth developed, intermediate in size; postero-lateral angles rounded (Figure 19b). Propodeum characteristic (Figure 19b); main features include very strongly developed superior and inferior carina, merged with inferior propodeal carina and forming very long hyaline margins of propodeal excavation. In contrast to R. brazzai (DU BUYSSON), which has straight carina, this species has medially directed arches at top, which resemble theatre curtain. Propodeal excavation reticulated and covered by longer setae. Tegula with sparse and less defined punctures, with lateral half impunctate (in contrast to R. brazzai DU BUYSSON, which has strongly punctate tegula). Entire mesosoma covered by long and dense whitish setae.
Metasoma. Metasoma covered by setae of similar length, including T1 petiole. T1 with pronounced dorsal bulging and equally long apical and posterior parts; posterior part has shallow and long depression. T1 dorsally pyriform, with slight posterior constriction (Figure 81b). T2 longer, with more than half of contour parallel. T2 with smaller, shallower and dense directional punctures, denser than that on S2. T2/S2 suture visible for about half of segment length; lamellar notch either extremely fine or inexistent at all; lamella short, brownish, originates directly from T2 surface, without visible sulcus between them.
Male. Unknown.
Distribution. The Central African Republic, DR Congo, Republic of the Congo.
Etymology. The name comes from the Latin noun aulaeum, “theatre curtain”, used as a noun in apposition, based on the shape of the superior propodeal carina that resembles a theatre curtain contour.
Similar species: R. brazzai (DU BUYSSON), differing in several morphological characters listed in the key and discussed above. Males are unknown in both species.
Genetics. No sequencing was attempted since all three examined specimens were older than 40 years.
description: Published as part of Polašek, Ozren, Onah, Ikechukwu, Kehinde, Tope, Rojo, Veronica, Noort, Simon Van & Carpenter, James M., 2025, Revision of the mainland African species of the Old World social wasp genus Ropalidia Guérin-Méneville 1831 (Hymenoptera; Vespidae), pp. 1-142 in Zootaxa 5626 (1) on page 67, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15325272