Ropalidia valentula 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 valentula

description: Ropalidia valentula Polašek sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 0412648D-1228-46C9-AB1C-BE1FFD19220C
Type specimens. Holotype: Voi, Kenya, 1♀ (OLM.0203). Paratypes: Amani, Tanzania, 2♀♀, 1♂ (SNM); Kimboza, Tanzania, 1♀ (SNM); Sigi river, Tanzania, 2♀♀ (SNM); Sanje river, Tanzania, 2♀♀ (SNM); Arusha, Tanzania, 1♀, 1♂ (ZSM); Kahama, Tanzania, 2♀♀ (OLM); Muse, Tanzania, 1♀ (MSNV); Kafukola, Tanzania, 1♀ (MSNV); Morogoro, Tanzania, 1♀ (AMNH _ IZC00179536) Sof Omar, Ethiopia, 2♀♀ (OLM); Nairobi, Kenya 1♀ (OLM); Voi, Kenya, 6♀♀ (OLM); Taveta, Kenya, 1♀ (OLM); Salima, Malawi, 1♀ (MFNB); Kofne, Zambia, 1♀ (NHRS-HEVA 000008440); Nylstrom, South Africa, 2♀♀ (OLM); Oshikango, Namibia, 1♂ (MSNV); Solwezi, 90 km NW, Zambia, 1♀ (OLM); Chipinge, Zimbabwe, 1♀ (OLM); Elisabethville, DR Congo, 1♀ (RMCA); Katanga, DR Congo, 1♂ (AMNH _ IZC00179537); Mrera, Kenya, 1♂ (NHM). The total number of examined specimens: 31♀♀, 4♂♂.
Diagnosis. Member of the capensis- group, characterized by the robust head structure, sharp OCA in females, upwardly directed hairs of propodeal excavation and specific clypeus shape and terminal flagellomere structure in males.
Description. Females. Wing length 6.2–8.1 mm. Colour. Basic colour dark brown with black (Figure 4 bb). Clypeus yellow with large basal light brown or brown spot (Figure 12 bb). Inner orbit and interantennal area with suffused yellow markings (Figure 12 bb). Mandible yellow with medio-basal brown spot, sometimes elongated and reaches tip (Figure 11b). Gena brown, rarely with small yellow spot near mandible base (Figure 12 aa). Pronotum with thin yellow line underneath carina (Figure 4 bb); mesonotum darker, usually dark brown with two or four reddish lines. Scutellum reddish (sometimes with thin posterior yellowish line), metanotum with two lateral reddish spots that are sometimes faintly yellow, rarely metanotum with two visible yellow spots. Mesopleuron dark brown or black, with central reddish area, metapleuron ferruginous, brown or dark brown. Coxa ferruginous, femur similarly coloured or even with darker proximal part; rest of leg ferruginous, terminal tarsal segment sometimes darker (Figure 4 bb). T1 usually without yellow markings, T2 commonly with posterior yellow band, S2 with band or remaining bilateral spots. Population from South Africa has reduced yellow line on T2 and yellow markings on S2 absent. Remaining metasomal segments variable: either without yellow markings or with as much as T3–5(6) with a suffused yellow band. Wings transparent, except anterior margin with yellowish area; apical spot faintly yellowish (Figure 4 bb). Stigma brown, with somewhat lightly coloured or even translucent centre (Figure 4 bb). Antenna darkened from above, orange underneath; South Africa population has a darker antenna, black from above.
Head. More robust than R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE), with broader gena and more sinuate occipital carina (almost straight in R. antennata DE SAUSSURE). Clypeus about as wide as long, with straight or weakly curved upes and marked oculo-clypeal angle (Figure 12 bb). Clypeus sparsely and finely punctate, with less defined craters apically. Frons finely and densely punctate, but obscured by fine yellowish-silvery pubescence and longer setae, that are about as long as ocelli diameter. Gena shallowly punctate, gradually dissipating towards occipital carina. Ocelli with broader base. Mandible wider proximally than distally (Figure 11b), in contrast to R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE) with parallel mandible contour. Scape slightly longer than AF1, AF2 about as long as wide.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma covered by denser yellowish-golden pubescence; pubescence can be silvery-whitish in melanic specimens. Mesonotum sparsely and shallowly punctate, median suture and parapsidal furrows usually well developed. Scutellum without visible median carina. Propodeum overall rounded; superior and inferior propodeal carina weakly developed. Metanotum with well-defined punctures (Figure 11a). Propodeal excavation with slightly upwardly directed setae centrally, similar to R. nigrocerasina sp. nov. and R. retromaculata sp. nov. (Figure 11a), and in contrast to R. capensis (DE SAUSSURE) and R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE).
Metasoma. T1 commonly pyriform, with equally curved margins (Figure 4 bb). T2 with parallel margins centrally; lamella with shallow T2/S2 nick. T2 with intermediate and shallow, poorly defined punctures.
Males resemble females in general, except for more yellow colour (Figure 53c). Colour. Clypeus completely yellow (Figure 54 bb), interantennal area, inner orbits yellow, mandible mainly yellow with posterior brown triangular spot. Mesosoma with reddish pronotum, spot on mesopleuron, two lines on otherwise black mesonotum, scutellum and metanotum (Figure 54 aa); notably, there are no yellow markings on mesosoma, including coxa. T2 often with posterior yellow band (Figure 54 aa).
Head. Head more robust than most of capensis -group species males, with thicker gena and robust mandible with strong tortuous basal excavation (Figure 54 bb). Clypeus about as wide as long or somewhat wider, with pointed apex that barely protrudes juxtamandibular lobes, often slightly depressed inwards (Figure 54 bb). Scape thinner than in R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE), about 1.5 times as wide as AF3 base (Figure 19c). AF2 about as wide as long, tyloids small and less developed, terminal flagellomere short, beak-like, with a pointed tip (Figure 54 bb).
Mesosoma. The tarsal spur weak or moderate (Figure 53b).
Metasoma. Terminal sternum flattened.
Distribution: Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, South Africa, Malawi, DR Congo, Zimbabwe. It is the most prevalent species from the capensis -group in Kenya and Tanzania, with a declining Southern gradient of occurrence.
Etymology. A name is a diminutive form of the Latin adjective valens -tis (“robust”), valentulus -a -um, in reference to the robust head.
Similar species. R. nigrocerasina sp. nov. and R. retromaculata sp. nov. These three species seem to form a cluster within the capensis -group, defined by the propodeal pubescence pattern and more robust heads in males and females. While R. nigrocerasina sp. nov. may present some problems in females, males are more easily separated by the clypeus shape and punctures and shape of terminal flagellomere.
Genetics. Three separate lineages were detected, BOLD:ADN8568, originating from Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, BOLD:ADR7788 from the South Africa, and BOLD:ADN9353 from Zambia. Notably, the BIN cluster of R. nigrocerasina sp. nov. was nested within the R. valentula sp. nov. lineages, suggesting a very close relationship, which was corroborated by morphology.
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 129-130, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15325272