Ropalidia clepsydra 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 clepsydra

description: Ropalidia clepsydra Polašek sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C227B8A2-DCB0-4BC9-94AF-2672F6D9D176
Type specimens. Holotype: Solwezi, Zambia, 1♀ (OLM.1382). Paratypes: Cooperbelt, Chingola, 25 km W, Zambia, 1♀ (OLM); Kaoma, Zambia, 2♀♀ (OLM); Kasama, Zambia, 1♀ (OLM; Mpita, 82 km NWW, Zambia, 2♀♀ (OLM); Mwinilunga, 150 km S, Zambia, 3♀♀ (OLM); Mwinilunga, 50 km E, Zambia, 1♀ (OLM); Serenje, SW, Zambia, 1♀ (OLM); Solwezi, 90 km NW, Zambia, 2♀♀ (OLM); Masanga, Karoi, Zimbabwe, 4♀♀ (OLM). The total number of examined specimens: 18♀♀.
Diagnosis. Larger species characterized by coarse punctures of inner orbit and metapleuron, developed inferior and superior propodeal carina, giving propodeal excavation water clock contour, with two inversely stacked triangles.
Description. Female. Wing length: 9.8–11.6 mm. Colour. Basic colour brown-reddish or brown (Figure 85a). Yellow colouration usually confined to head, with thin and suffused yellow lines along the apical clypeal rim, inner eye margin, gena and mandible (Figure 34 bb). Some specimens have faint yellow line underneath pronotal carina. Mesosoma underside usually darker (Figure 85a). Tarsi ferruginous, even in melanic specimens (occasionally, terminal segment may be lighter). T1/S1 and T2/S2 brownish, in some specimens with faintly reddish posterior band at T2. Wings tinted yellow, stigma yellowish and transparent (Figure 85a). Antenna specifically coloured; in more lightly specimens completely ferruginous (Figure 44c), in melanic specimens distal segments darkened or even black dorsally (Figure 1 aa); notably, AF1–AF3 are always ferruginous dorsally. Interestingly, specimens with dorsally ferruginous antenna have similar colour ventrally, while those with dorsally darker antenna have yellowish underside. Four specimens from Zimbabwe have more xanthic appearance, with suffused yellow areas on pronotum and more developed posterior band on T2 (Figure 85b).
Head. Clypeus wider than long, with slightly curved upes and no distinguishable oculo-clypeal angle (Figure 34 bb). Clypeal surface coarsely punctate. Inner orbit with large and well-defined punctures even close to eye margin (Figure 44a; in contrast to similar species, R. perovici sp. nov. has impunctate zone next to eye). Frons, vertex and tempora coarsely punctate; gena usually more minutely punctate, even more sparse and less defined towards occipital carina. Ocellar triangle smaller, acute forward or equidistant. Eye setae very short or absent (Figure 34 bb). Entire body covered by shorter whitish-yellow pubescence; clypeus, legs and metasoma with equally coloured, longer protruding setae. Scape about as long as AF1 or somewhat shorter, AF2 about 1.2 times as long as wide (Figure 34 bb).
Mesosoma. Pronotum, mesonotum and mesopleuron coarsely punctate; area lateral to parapsidal furrows with sparser punctures. Metapleuron shallowly and coarsely punctate (Figure 44b). Scutellum with median carina; proximal part black, distal brownish. Metanotum with posterior impunctate triangular area, usually without or with weakly developed median tooth. Propodeum provides sufficient determination criteria, with developed upper carina connected to inferior carina (Figure 21 aa). Overall appearance of propodeal excavation resembles two inverted triangles, where upper one (downwards directed) is longer, while lower one (upwards directed) is defined by inferior propodeal carina (Figure 21 aa). Propodeum strongly striate. Coxa II and III often punctate, but not as strongly as in R. dondo sp. nov.
Metasoma. First metasomal segment similar to R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE), although slightly more globular, especially in larger specimens. Posterior part with intermediate-sized punctures, larger closer to T1 lamina. T2 elongated, with nearly two thirds of length parallel.
Male. Unknown.
Distribution. Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Etymology. From the Latin noun clepsydra, used in apposition, refers to the shape of the propodeal excavation, which resembles a water clock (with a large upper downward-pointing triangle and an upward-pointing triangle below).
Similar species. R. perovici sp. nov., which has a similar appearance, but differs in the punctures of inner orbit and metapleuron (R. perovici sp. nov. has a less punctate inner orbit, with an impunctate zone next to eye and more scattered punctures of metapleuron). In addition, female antenna colour is different, with R. clepsydra sp. nov. having distally darkened flagellomeres, while AF1–5 are commonly ferruginous; in contrast, R. perovici sp. nov. commonly has AF1 darkened or black from above (sometimes it may also be ferruginous, but then AF2 is darkened or black), while AF3–12 are always darkened or black dorsally. Overall colour pattern may sometimes resemble R. tomentosa (GERSTAECKER), separated based on the propodeum contour.
Genetic data. Eight specimens were successfully genotyped for the COI gene, suggesting a somewhat diverse population, belonging to two BINs (BOLD: ADN0766 from Zambia, and BOLD: ADN8565 from Zimbabwe). 28s rDNA suggested a similarity to R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) and other closely related species of this cluster of species.
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 pages 75-76, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15325272