Ropalidia sandamara 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 sandamara

description: Ropalidia sandamara Polašek sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 571C45DC-D3AE-43E7-B41B-DEEFFC6EB87C
Type specimens. Holotype: Erongo Berge, Namibia, 1♀ (OLM.0593); Aris, 2 km S, Namibia, 3♀♀ (CAS); Damara, Namibia, 1♀ (NHRS); Erongo Berge, Namibia, 3♀♀ (OLM); Okahandja, Namibia, 1♂ (NHM); Tsumeb, Namibia, 1F (CAS); Windhoek, Namibia, 2♀♀, 1♂ (NHM); Namaqua, South Africa, 1♀ (NHRS). The total number of examined specimens: 12♀♀, 2♂♂.
Diagnosis. A narrowly distributed species (central Namibia and Western part of Northern Cape in the South Africa), which resembles TT cluster of R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE). It is characterized by the basal ferruginous colour, with a large yellow area on pronotum, thick posterior band on T2, setose eyes, impunctate inner orbit, light-brown elongated apical spot of the fore wing, and unicolorous terminal flagellomere in males.
Description. Female. Wing length 8.9–11.2 mm. Colour. Basal colour ferruginous or dark brown (Figure 36a). Following areas yellow: apical line of clypeus, mandible, gena, line along inner eye margin (Figure 36a), thickened line underneath pronotal carina (that extends up to half of the pronotal length, but does not reach the dorsal mesonotal margin, at least not in the posterior part of the pronotum; Figure 37 aa). Posterior yellow band at T1 and thicker one at T2, often with two additional yellow incorporated spots (Figure 104a). Legs in basal colour, proximal femur sometimes darker (Figure 36a). Wings slightly yellowish, nervature brown, stigma yellowish and semi-transparent; apical spot lightly brownish, does not reach stigma (Figure 36a). Antenna ferruginous or slightly darkened from above, orange underneath (Figure 36a).
Head. Clypeus about as long as wide or slightly wider, convex, upes slightly curved, oculo-clypeal angle weak (Figure 34a). Inner orbit impunctate, rarely with scattered and weakly defined puncture or two. Gena wider than eye, occipital carina well developed, with strong hyaline rim and more sinuate. Anterior half of gena with shallow and large punctures, diminishing towards occipital carina. Frons covered by whitish pubescence and yellowish protruding setae that are about as long as ocellar diameter. Ocellar triangle nearly equidistant or slightly more acute forwards. Eyes covered by sparse short setae (sometimes of intermediate length; Figure 34a). Scape about as long as AF1, AF2 1.1–1.4 times as long as wide.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma covered by whitish-golden pubescence and longer protruding setae. Pronotum punctures large and shallow. Mesonotum covered by intermediate and shallow punctures. Median suture extends up to frontal half of mesonotum, parapsidal furrows long, but weak, sometimes obscured by pubescence. Scutellum rectangular, wider. Scutellum median carina reduced to central black line, which reaches up to half of scutellar length (sometimes even more). Metanotum largely and shallowly punctate, posterior shiny triangle small; median tooth weak or missing. Metapleuron punctures large or intermediate, especially anteriorly and posteriorly (centre impunctate). Propodeum with rounded surface: superior carina weak, inferior carina absent. Propodeal excavation narrow and shallow, with poorly developed striae obscured by pubescence. Coxa II and III, as well as proximal halves of femur II and III with whitish underlying pubescence and intermediate length protruding setae; protruding setae are commonly or exclusively straight (in contrast to R. guttatipennis DE SAUSSURE, which has bent tips of these protruding setae).
Metasoma. T1 pyriform, with narrow petiole, strong dorsal contour and well-developed posterior depression (Figure 104a). T2 with shallow, intermediate and directional punctures; T2/S2 suture visible for more than half of T2 length. T2 lamellar nick visible and wide, lamella of intermediate length, yellowish and translucent.
Males resemble females, but with more yellow markings. Wing length: 8.8–9.4 mm. Colour. Basal colour ferruginous-brown. Clypeus and mandible entirely yellow, inner orbit to scape merged in yellow, in addition to smaller area on gena (Figure 73 aa), coxa I complete yellow, II with larger yellow areas and coxa III ferruginous; femur I with a long yellow line, femur II with patches of yellow, femur III ferruginous.
Head. Male clypeus slightly wider than long, with convex surface and slightly projecting, obtuse and somewhat depressed apex; upes curved, OC angle not developed; basal half largely and shallowly punctate (Figure 73 aa). AF1 about 1.2–1.5 times as long as scape, AF2 about 1.5–1.7 times as long as wide; antenna slightly darkened from above, orange underneath; terminal flagellomere slightly elongated, ferruginous from above, with obtuse tip (Figure 73 bb). Tyloids weak, matt (not shiny), not projecting above flagellomere surface.
Mesosoma. Tarsal I spur not developed.
Metasoma. Terminal sternum with concave surface.
Male-female pairing strength: High, males resemble females in general appearance and distribution pattern.
Nest. Three nests were recorded from iNat. In all three cases, the nests were small, possibly reflecting overall smaller colony size due to arid environment; it seems that males are produced very early in the colony development cycle, in a nest with only 15 cells (iNat: 64348421). The nests are discoid in shape, with the centrally placed petiole. The cell wall is yellowish or lightly brownish in the early colony stages (iNat: 64348421), but apparently becomes greyish in the later colony stages (notably, this is the same colony, iNat: 71556009). The opercula are whitish or lightly greyish, possibly with a few lightly brownish nodules (it is difficult to ascertain if these are indeed nodules, due to the relatively low resolution of the photo). All three nests are located objects in the human settlements.
Distribution. Namibia, South Africa (Western part of the Northern Cape); allopatric to R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE).
Etymology. The name combines Namibia’s two native ethnic groups, the San and the Damara, and is treated as a noun in apposition.
Similar species. TT cluster of R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE), separated by eye setae, setae on femur II and III, pronotal colouration pattern and male terminal flagellomere shape and colour. Another similar species is R. irrequitea (KOHL), easily separated by features listed in the key and by the distribution area.
Genetics. A single sequencing effort had yielded a complete COI result, which was classified as BOLD: ADN 8809. The genetics results suggest the closest relationship to R. perovici sp. nov.
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 119-120, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15325272