Ropalidia kuficha 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 kuficha

description: Ropalidia kuficha Polašek sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: CA30B833-AC33-4B8F-A1D9-8806FAA8F4F9
Type specimens. Dimonika, Congo, Republic of the Congo, 1♀ (MSNV); Doli lodge, Central African Republic, 1♂ (AMNH); Congo Belge, DR Congo, 1♀ (NMW); Eala, DR Congo, 2♀♀, 1♂ (RMCA); Irangi Luhoho, DR Congo, 1♂ (CAS); Leopoldville, DR Congo, 1♀ (RMCA); Lokandu, DR Congo, 1♀ (RMCA); Sankuru, DR Congo, 1♀ (RMCA); Stanleyville, DR Congo, 3♂♂ (RMCA); Ubangi, DR Congo, 1♀ (MNHN); Gomo, Gabon, 1♀ (MNHN); Petit-Okano, Gabon, 3♀♀ (MSNV); Talagouga, Gabon, 1♀ (MNHN); Nyanza, Kakamega, Kenya, 1♀ (AMNH); Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, 7♀♀ (MNHN); Dimonika, Congo, Republic of the Congo, 2♀♀, 2♂♂ (MNHN); Pounga Matin, Republic of the Congo, 1♀ (MNHN); Kintele, Congo, Republic of the Congo, 1♀ (MSNV); Tero forest, Uganda, 1♀ (NHM). The total number of examined specimens: 25♀♀, 9♂♂.
Diagnosis. This species is characterized by basally blackish or brownish body colour, with thin yellow markings in females, posteriorly narrowing propodeum with developed inferior propodeal carina and strong lateral striations of propodeum, and comparatively more projecting clypeus apex in males.
Description. Female. Wing length 8.6–9.7 mm. Colour. Basal colour dark brown, almost black (Figure 43a); three specimens from Kenya and one from Cote d’Ivoire have more brownish basal colour (Figure 45 aa). Yellow areas include thin apical yellow line on clypeus (sometimes broken medially), inner orbit and antero-basal yellow spot on mandible (Figure 43b). Clypeus sometimes with lateral or basal yellowish-reddish areas, in most lightly coloured specimens with two accessory brownish central spots. Frons, gena and tempora brown or brownish (Figure 43a, Figure 44 aa). Mesosoma dark brown, except thin yellow line underneath pronotal carina (Figure 43a), and occasionaly yellow markings on coxa I (Figure 97a). Some specimens can have ventral third of coxa I entirely yellow, while very xanthic specimens from Kenya have entire coxa I yellow and smaller markings on coxa II (Figure 45 aa). Legs dark brown, tarsi brown or even black. First two metasomal segments match basal body colour (T2 and S2 sometimes with thin terminal yellow band), T3–6 ferruginous (Figure 97b). Wings transparent, apical spot grey to dark grey, stigma yellowish, semi-transparent, and commonly darkened proximal third. Antenna dorsally black, terminal few flagellomeres reddish ventrally, or yellowish in very xanthic specimens (Figure 97a).
Head. Clypeus about as long as wide, convex and with projecting subacute apex; upes slightly curved, oculo-clypeal angle weak or missing (Figure 43b). Clypeus coarsely punctate basally and centrally, which turns into shallow craters towards apex. Inner orbit punctate, punctures large and shallow. Gena about as wide as eye, occipital carina well developed. Anterior half of gena with shallow and large punctures, that diminishes towards and converts into poorly defined punctures near occipital carina. Frons covered by yellowish-white pubescence and equally coloured straight protruding setae, about as long as ocellar diameter. Ocellar triangle acute forwards. Eyes covered by sparse intermediate setae (Figure 43b). Scape about as long as AF1, AF2 1.4–1.5 times as long as wide.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma covered by whitish-golden pubescence and longer protruding setae. Pronotum punctures coarse, large and shallow, less than a diameter apart. Mesonotum shallowly punctate. Scutellum rectangular, more coarsely punctate (Figure 43a). Median carina of scutellum developed, usually reaches more than half of scutellar length (Figure 43a). Metanotum covered by larger and shallow punctures, posterior shiny triangle variable, ranging from entire metanotum height to only occupying posterior half. Metapleuron with large and shallow punctures, especially anteriorly (central part frequently impunctate; specimens from Kenya have weaker punctures). Propodeum posteriorly narrowing towards valvula (Figure 43a). Superior propodeal carina more developed. Propodeal excavation shallow, narrowing distally, covered by intermediate or weak regular striae. Inferior propodeal carina always developed (Figure 43a).
Metasoma. T1 pyriform, with longer posterior half and stronger dorsal depression (Figure 97b). T2 with shallow, intermediate and dense directional punctures; T2/S2 suture visible up to third of total segment length. T2 lamella of intermediate length, brownish and semi-translucent (Figure 97b).
Males resemble females, but have more yellow markings. Wing length: 8.4–9.1 mm. Colour. Basal colour dark brown to almost black. Clypeus and mandible entirely yellow, inner orbit to scape merged in yellow, smaller area on gena (rest of gena brownish; Figure 72b), pronotum with thin yellow line underneath carina (Figure 72a), coxa I and II completely yellow, coxa III variable (commonly brown or dark brown, sometimes with smaller yellow patch). Anterior surface of femur I and II yellow, femur III commonly with smaller yellow patches. Tibia brown, tarsi dark brown. Antenna black from above (sometimes scape and pedicel can be dark brown); all flagellomeres yellow(- greyish) from underneath, occasionally few distal segments can be orange.
Head. Male clypeus broader than long, with short upes; apex projecting, with sub-acute tip; basal half of clypeus coarsely and shallowly punctate, obscured by dense underlying of silvery pubescence and some longer protruding setae (Figure 72b). Gena about 0.6 times as wide as eye, with large and shallow punctures that dissipate close to occipital carina. Mandible base with few scattered puncta. Scape not widened strongly (Figure 72b), shorter than AF1. AF2 about 1.6–1.7 times as long as wide. Tyloids visible along entire length of AF1 as thin line, gradually widened at AF2 and more distal flagellomeres; tyloid surface shiny (Figure 72c). Terminal flagellomere slightly elongated, evenly curved, tip obtuse.
Mesosoma. Tarsal I spur not developed.
Metasoma. Terminal sternum flattened.
Distribution. Republic of the Congo (52% of examined specimens), Gabon (19%), Kenya (11%), Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda.
Etymology. The name comes from the Swahili verb kuficha (“to hide”), and refers to the obscure nature of this taxon and the difficulties in its separation from a few similar taxa; the name is treated as indeclinable.
Similar species. Similarities may arise compared to R. aethiopica (DU BUYSSON), separated by the lack of the inner orbit punctures in females. Males of R. aethiopica (DU BUYSSON) can be separated by the more projecting clypeal apex (Figure 72b), and longer setae on the clypeus and mesosoma. Some difficulties may arise in separating females from the darker clusters of R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE). A useful feature, in this case, is the presence of inferior propodeal carina, which are virtually absent in R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE). Problems may arise in separation from R. baki sp. nov.; colour is enough in these cases, since yellow markings on mesosoma and metasoma are absent in R. baki sp. nov. Finally, most problems may arise in separation from R. excavata GIORDANI SOIKA. The primary feature in this comparison is the propodeum excavation shape. However, this feature may be variable, and therefore not reliable. In these instances, several more features may be used. R. kuficha sp. nov. has a more elevated scutellum surface and developed median carina (Figure 97c). In contrast, the scutellum is flattened and without median carina in R. excavata GIORDANI SOIKA. Juxtamandibular excavation in females is much stronger in R. excavata GIORDANI SOIKA, compared to R. kuficha n. However, this feature does not seem to be discriminative and reliable enough in all the examined specimens. R. excavata GIORDANI SOIKA has broader and more globular T1, while R. kuficha sp. nov. has it in narrower; finally, while R. excavata GIORDANI SOIKA has very short or absent eye setae, R. kuficha sp. nov. has medium eye setae length (Figure 43b). Coxa colour is also useful in separation from R. excavata GIORDANI SOIKA; females of that species tend to have larger yellow spot on coxa I, which originates from ventral margin and occupies varying amounts of coxa I. In contrast, R. kuficha sp. nov. tends to have thin yellow line on outer coxa margin (Figure 97a).
Genetics. Not attempted due to the older age of the examined specimens.
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 96-98, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15325272