Ropalidia makore 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 makore

description: Ropalidia makore Polašek sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DB8F09C3-37E0-4C91-B146-1006D6271768
Type specimens. Holotype: Chimolo, Manica, Mozambique, 1♀ (OLM.0033). Paratype, the same location data, 1♀ (OLM). The total number of examined specimens: 2♀♀.
Diagnosis. An interesting capensis -group member, with dark apical spot of the fore wing, slender T1 and weakly developed juxtamandibular lobes in females; males are unknown.
Description. Females. Wing length 6.2–6.8 mm. Colour. Basal colour brown (Figure 7 bb), not differing substantially from more melanic specimens of R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE). Yellow markings include clypeus (except large brown circular spot; Figure 14a), inner orbit and mandible (except the longitudinal brown line that connects mandibular base and teeth; this pattern is uncommon in R. antenatta DE SAUSSURE). Gena and tempora brown, frons brown with black streaks, vertex black or brown (Figure 7 bb). Mesosoma more or less uniformly brown-reddish, with some yellow markings underneath pronotal carina (thin yellow line), suffused thin yellow line on scutellum and two minute yellow spots on metanotum. Coxa I with lateral yellow line, coxa II and III with suffused yellowish tip (females of R. antenatta DE SAUSSURE have entirely yellow coxa I and lateral yellow lines on coxa II and III); femur, tibia and tarsi brownish. Metasomal segments brown with thin posterior yellow band on T2 and S2 (suffused yellow band on T 3 in paratype; Figure 7 bb). Antenna basally brown, flagellum distally darkening, several terminal segments blackish or black from above; underside yellowish or orange (Figure 7 bb). Wings transparent, nervature and stigma brown, opaque, with dark apical spot, occupying most of radial cell (Figure 7 bb).
Head. Clypeus pentagonal, with slightly curved and long upes, weakly projecting apex and very shallow juxtamandibular notches (Figure 14a). Clypeal base finely punctate, with increasing punctures size that converts to poorly defined craters towards apex. Clypeal base covered by short yellowish pubescence, with gradually elongating projecting setae towards apex. Inner orbit impunctate, frons with gradually appearing, intermediate-sized and shallow punctures, extending backwards onto vertex. Gena about 0.7 times as wide as eye, covered by large and poorly defined punctures that dissipate towards occipital carina. Mandible more robust than in R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE), but not as wide as in R. valentula sp. nov. Ocellar triangle equidistant (in contrast to R. antenatta DE SAUSSURE, which has wider base). Eyes covered by very short and very fine setae. Scape longer than AF1, pedicel about 1.5 times as long as wide, AF2 about as long as wide.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma covered by shorter yellowish-golden pubescence, which turns to somewhat longer setae on propodeum; entire mesosoma surface sparsely punctate, with poor puncture definitions. Metanotum shiny posterior impunctate area that reaches about half of its height. Metapleuron with few punctures, hardly discernible due to pubescence. Propodeal excavation rounded, narrower than metanotum width, covered by fine striae and occasional poorly defined puncture. Inferior propodeal carina slightly stronger than in other species of capensis - group.
Metasoma. T1 elongated and narrow, with intermediate-sized punctures posteriorly and laterally (Figure 14b). T2 with long parallel contour and minimal narrowing towards lamella. T2/S2 suture weak, visible in proximal third. T2 lamellar notch visible and obtuse. T2 lamella brown or light brown. T2 covered by shallow directional punctures laterally and very shallow punctures dorsally; T2 longer than S2, yielding oblique segment cut-out. T2 covered by short yellowish setae, those on S2 longer and whitish. Remaining segments covered by whitish pubescence and longer whitish protruding setae.
Male. Unknown.
Distribution: Mozambique.
Etymology. The name comes from the word makore, translated as “cloudy” in the commonest language in the region, Shona; the name is treated as an adjective, in the feminine gender.
Similar species. R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE), which shows a substantial overlap variability and distribution. The apical spot of the fore wing may be slightly developed in some specimens of R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE), which can make determination more complicated. Another feature is the scape to AF1 ratio; AF1 is shorter than the scape in R. makore sp. nov., while they are similarly long in R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE). Finally, mandible colour may provide another useful character, but the final determination may be only obtained through genetic analysis in some specimens. Notably, one specimen of R. antennata (DE SAUSSURE), as confirmed by the COI sequence, from the exact collection location is morphologically almost entirely similar to the type specimens of this species, except lack of the apical spot (suggesting that genetics might be required in the separation of some specimens from Mozambique). Some similarities existing in relation to the R. novissima GIORDANI SOIKA, R. mosichi sp. nov. and R. macloutsie sp. nov.; these species have transparent fore wings and more slender antenna.
Genetics. One specimen was successfully genotyped, suggesting a basal position within the capensis- group, belonging to a single BIN (BOLD:ADR4213). The closest species to this one were R. kitui sp. nov., and R. valentula 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 102-103, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15325272