Ropalidia tenuipilosa 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 tenuipilosa

description: Ropalidia tenuipilosa Polašek sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6EC6D771-8B71-4CE8-83BB-3050B3A9F488
Type specimens. Holotype: Thabazimbi, South Africa, 1♀ (OLM.1322). Paratypes: Serowe, Botswana, 1♀ (SNM); Nwaswitshaka, South Africa, 2♀♀ (AMNH _ IZC00179635, AMNH _ IZC00179636); Dwarsberge, South Africa, 2♀♀ (MFNB); Emanguzi, South Africa, 3♀♀ (OLM); Rikatla, Mozambique, 2♀ (NHM); Thabazimbi, South Africa, 4♀♀ (OLM); Ndumo, South Africa, 2♀♀ (OLM); Nylstrom, South Africa, 1♀ (OLM); Kimberley, South Africa, 1♀ (OLM); Ellisras, South Africa, 1♂ (NHM); Matops, Zimbabwe, 8♀♀ (OLM). The total number of examined specimens: 27♀♀, 1♂.
Diagnosis. A species that morphologically substantially resembles R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON). It is characterized by the poorly developed median carina of scutellum, developed dark apical spot of the fore wing in combination with the lightly coloured and opaque stigma, and yellowish-white pubescence on mesonotum and T2, in contrast to denser and golden pubescence in R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON).
Description. Female. Wing length 8.4–10.9 mm. Colour. Basal colour brown, with reduced yellow markings (Figure 42 bb). Yellow areas include thin yellow line at clypeus apex, occasional two suffused basal yellow spots or even two faint lines along upes, thin and shorter yellow line along inner orbit, antero-basal spot on mandible (Figure 42 cc; can be very reduced or absent in some specimens). All examined specimens have a brown interantennal area, which is marked with yellow in R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON) females. Mesosoma with only two variable features: yellow line underneath pronotal carina can sometimes be reduced or completely missing, and coxa I colouration can vary from entirely brown, brown with a thin lateral line, to distal half entirely yellow. Metasoma with varying thickness in posterior yellow band on T2 and tone of segments 3–6, which can be somewhat more lightly coloured than basal colour. General leg colour pattern follows similar brown colour of coxa across femur and tibia, while tarsi are darker, almost black (in contrast to R. nigrofemorata CAMERON, which has darker femur). Antenna dorsally black, including scape and proximal parts of AF1 (Figure 42 aa). Wings similar to R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON); transparent, nervature brown, some yellowish colouration at anterior margin, stigma intensely yellow, apical spot dark grey.
Head. Clypeus wider than long, with slightly curved or even straight upes, variably developed OC angle and acute apex (Figure 42 cc). Clypeus finely punctate basaly, somewhat more coarsely centrally, apex with large craters. Frons densely and finely punctate. Ocelli with acute triangle. Gena as wide as eye, punctate anteriorly, with smaller and sparser punctures posteriorly; occipital carina mildly sinuate. Scape about as long as AF1, AF2 about 1.2–1.3 times as long as wide (Figure 42 cc). Eye setae of intermediate length; specimens from Namibia have barely visible setae.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma intermediately-sized, shallowly and finely punctate. Mesonotum with well-developed median suture; parapsidal furrows not visible, except via lack of punctures. Pubescence of mesonotum yellowish-white and sparse, similar to that on pronotum sides (Figure 42 bb), much less developed than in R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON). Scutellum rounded, without median carina or only with thin black stripe along anterior surface, which does not project dorsally (Figure 39 aa). Metanotum very variable; punctures varying from stronger to intermediate, punctum definition strong to intermediate or even weak, posterior impunctate triangle reaching half of its height, or entire height. Propodeum with weakly developed upper carina or almost entirely without them, propodeal excavation shallow, covered by mildly to strongly developed striae. Inferior propodeal carina most commonly missing, but some specimens can have a minimal elevation in their place.
Metasoma. T1 narrow, T2 elongated, covered by developed directional punctures. T2 lamella brown to dark brown, shorter. Whitish protruding setae cover the remaining metasomal segments.
Males. Wing length: 8.1 mm. Colour. Similar to females, except more yellow colour; clypeus, inner orbits and interantennal area entirely yellow, mandibles yellow with dark brown area posteriorly (Figure 76 aa). Frons, gena and tempora brown (gena with small yellow mark under eye). Mesosoma brown, pronotal carina with thin yellow line underneath, anterior part of mesopleuron yellow, coxa I and II yellow, femur I and II with yellow patches; remaining leg segments brown. Metasoma brown, with somewhat lighter brown, thin band on T2. Scape and all flagellomeres black dorsally, with red-yellowish from the underside. Terminal flagellomere brownish dorsally (Figure 61 aa).
Head. Clypeus flattened, apex depressed and barely projecting juxtamandibular lobes, upes curved (Figure 76 aa). Gena about half of eye width, tempora very thin. Mandible with few punctures basally. Frons covered by straight yellowish protruding setae about as long as ocelli width; clypeus covered by silvery, fine pubescence of equal length. Scape moderately thickened, about as long as AF1, AF2 about 1.4 times as long as wide (Figure 76 aa). Tyloids originate at AF(1)2, gradually wider distally and matt, and finally occupy almost entire surface of AF11 (Figure 77 aa). Terminal flagellomere elongated, obtuse (Figure 61 aa).
Mesosoma. Similar to females; tarsal I spur not developed.
Metasoma. Sternum 7 concave.
Distribution. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana.
Etymology. The name is a combination of two Latin adjectives, tenuis -e (“light”, “tenuous”) and pilosus -a -um (“hairy”) and refers to the sparse and poorly developed pubescence.
Similar species: R. nigrofemorata (CAMERON) and R. tenebrica sp. nov., with features for their separation provided in the determination key. Females of R. aethiopica (DU BUYSSON) can sometimes resemble this species, separated by the strongly developed median scutellar carina.
Genetics. Three BINs were assigned for this species; BOLD:ADR2755 and BOLD:AEA4654 were exclusive, while the third one, BOLD: ADN 5333, was shared with R. tenebrica 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 124-125, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15325272