Ropalidia tenebrica 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 tenebrica

description: Ropalidia tenebrica Polašek sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 4BC6AEBA-CB62-4326-9E56-37CC3B3426EB
Type specimens. Holotype: Bulwayo, Zimbabwe, 1♀ (OLM); Angola, 2♀♀ (MSNV, NHM); Bruco, Angola, 1♀ (NHM); Luanda, Angola, 1♀ (CAS); Mongua, 24 mi SE, Angola, 2♀♀ (CAS); Rocadas, Cuene, Angola, 1♀ (NHM); Sateri island, Botswana, 1♀ (OLM); Kiambi, DR Congo, 9♀♀, 4♂♂ (RMCA); Salima, 500 m asl, Malawi, 1♀ (MFNB); Onjoka, Namibia, 2♀♀ (MFNB); Waterberg, Namibia, 2♀♀ (MFNB); Mkusi, South Africa, 1♀ (NMS); Harare, 30 km W, Zambia, 1♀ (OLM); Kabwe, Zambia, 2♀♀ (MSNV); Lusaka, 40 km S, Zambia, 1♀ (OLM); Tupele, Zambia, 1♀ (SAM); Bulwayo, route A8, Zimbabwe, 11♀♀ (OLM); Gwaai River,, Zimbabwe, 1♀ (SAM); Harare, 30 km W, Zimbabwe, 5♀♀ (OLM); Lupane, 40 km NW, Zimbabwe, 1♀ (OLM). The total number of examined specimens: 46♀♀, 5♂♂.
Diagnosis. Darkly coloured species similar to R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON). The defining characteristics of this species are weakly developed median carina of the scutellum, dark apical spot in combination with proximally brown stigma, basally black or dark brown colour, with silvery pubescence. Males are easily separated based on the clypeus shape, elongated AF2 and obtuse terminal flagellomere shape.
Description. Female. Wing length 8.1–10.7 mm. Colour. Basal colour purplish-dark-brown to nearly black (Figure 35 bb). Yellow markings usually restricted to head: apical clypeal line, line along inner eye margin, anterior quarter of mandible and small spot on gena (Figure 35 aa). Some specimens have faint yellowish line underneath pronotal carina or terminal T2 band. Reddish areas sometimes include posterior half of scutellum (sometimes even mesonotum) and posterior half of metanotum. Femur and tibia equally dark (Figure 35 bb). Fore wing apical spot dark and extended, almost reaching stigma (Figure 41a). Stigma bicolorous, proximally brown and opaque, distally yellowish and semi-transparent (Figure 41a). First two flagellomeres dorsally brown; AF1 proximally dark brown, distally black (Figure 35a).
Head. Clypeus wider than long, with evenly curved upes, no OC angle and acute apex (Figure 35 aa). Clypeus minutely and sparsely punctate, hardly discernible due to pubescence basaly, apically shallow craters. Clypeus covered by silvery pubescence and longer setae. Frons densely and shallowly punctate. Ocelli with forwardly acute triangle (specimens from Namibia have equidistant triangle). Gena as wide as eye, occipital carina mildly sinuate. AF2 about 1.4–1.8 times as long as wide. Eyes covered by intermediate-length setae, slightly longer than in R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON; Figure 35 aa).
Mesosoma. Mesosoma shallowly punctate, covered by short silvery pubescence (Figure 35 bb, Figure 41b). Pronotal carina with thin hyaline rim, sometimes almost entirely absent. Mesonotum with well-developed median suture and without visible parapsidal furrows. Scutellum well developed, rounded, without slight trace of median carina that does not project to dorsal scutellum surface (Figure 39 bb). Metanotum with posterior impunctate shiny area. Propodeum with weakly developed upper carina or almost entirely without them (sometimes difficult to discern due to silvery). Propodeal excavation shallow, mildly striate. Inferior propodeal carina absent or smaller, posterior part of propodeum narrowing linearly towards valvula.
Metasoma. T1 elongated, with linear margins. T2 basally shallowly punctate, distally directionally punctate; T2/ S2 suture commonly visible along entire T2 length. T2 lamella dark brown and short. Lamellar notch usuallyabsent. Entire metasoma covered by whitish-silvery pubescence and similarly coloured protruding longer setae (Figure 41b).
Males. Wing length: 8.2 mm. Colour. Basal colour dark brown, with yellow areas: clypeus (very faint brownish spot in only specimen), interantennal area and inner orbits, mandible yellow except posterior triangular dark brown area and thin line on gena along lower eye margin (Figure 76a). Mesosoma dark brown, with thin yellow line underneath pronotal carina. Basal colour of femora dark brown, tibia and tarsi light brown, terminal tarsal segment somewhat darker in all three leg pairs. Wings transparent, nervature brown, stigma proximally dark brown, distally light brown to yellowish, apical spot grey. Antenna entirely black from above, scape yellow from underneath.
Head. Clypeus flattened, apex barely depressed and obtuse (Figure 76a). Upes strongly curved, yielding narrower inner orbit than in R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON). Basal half of clypeus finely and sparsely punctate, which becomes even sparser towards apex; central part of clypeus almost impunctate. Entire clypeus covered by short silvery pubescence. Gena about half of eye width, with large and shallow punctures that dissipate towards occipital carina. Frons covered by shallow and intermediately sized punctures, with silvery lower layer of pubescence and silvery-yellowish protruding setae; these protruding setae are longer than ocelli diameter, straight or occasionally with curved tips; setae on clypeus and gena are much finer, more numerous and shorter than frons setae. Antenna longer than R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON) and R. tenuipilosa sp. nov.; scape moderately developed, conspicuously shorter than AF1, AF2 about twice as long as wide. Tyloids weaker; they originate on AF1 as shorter streak, remain shorter than the segment length on AF1 and AF2, and become wider on AF4 and more distal flagellomeres, where they occupy nearly the entire inner surface of segment AF8–11; their surface matt. Terminal flagellomere elongated, less curved, with truncated tip (Figure 74 cc).
Mesosoma. Tarsal spur not developed.
Metasoma. Sternum 7 flattened or barely concave.
Distribution. Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia.
Etymology. The name comes from the Latin adjective tenebricus -a -um (“dark”), in reference to the dark body colouration.
Similar species: R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON) and R. tenuipilosa sp. nov., with several features provided in the key to species.
Genetics. Two specimens were successfully sequenced for the COI gene; the specimen from Namibia was the only member of the BOLD: ADR2309 cluster. This specimen has a more xanthic basal body colour and a less developed apical spot of the fore wing. The second sequenced specimen belonged to another BIN (BOLD: ADN5333), shared with R. tenuipilosa 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 123-124, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15325272