Ropalidia soikae Polašek and Kehinde, 2025

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), Zootaxa 5626 (1), pp. 1-142 : 120-121

Ropalidia soikae Polašek and Kehinde sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:06B7BC49-55FC-4A25-9826-B54F1AF4C062

Type specimens. Holotype: Sepeteri , Nigeria, 1♀ ( OLM. TK03 ) . Paratypes: Akongbere , Benin, 1♀ ( OLM); Bassila, Benin, 2♀♀ (Coll.BG) ; Dan , Benin, 2♀♀ (Coll.BG) ; Penessoulou , Benin, 3♀♀ (Coll.BG) ; Savalou , Benin, 7♀♀ (Coll.BG) ; Bodialedaga , Burkina Fasso , 2♀♀ ( MNHN), 4♀♀ ( MSNV); Pala, Burkina Fasso , 3♀♀ ( MSNV); Tangrela, Burkina Fasso , 3♀♀ ( MSNV); Bamingui, Central African Republic, 20♀♀ ( OLM); Bangui, Central African Republic, 3♀♀ ( OLM); Bozoum, Central African Republic, 1♀ ( OLM); Koukorou, Central African Republic, 2♀♀ ( OLM); Ndele, Central African Republic, 5♀♀ ( OLM); Sibut, Central African Republic, 3♀♀ ( OLM); Bako, Cote d’Ivoire, 2♀♀ ( CAS); Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire, 5♀♀ ( RMCA); Comoe, Cote d’Ivoire, 3♀♀ ( SAM); Gambia, Gambia, 1♀ ( HNHM); Gambia, 1♀ ( NHRS); Kanilai, Gambia, 1♀ ( SNM); Karton, Gambia, 1♀

( NHRS); Kartung , Gambia, 2♀♀ ( MSNV) ; Bakau , Gambia, 1♀ ( NHRS) ; Tamale , Ghana, 2♀♀ ( CAS) ; Fustua , Nigeria, 1♀ ( RMCA) ; Ilorin , Nigeria, 2♀♀ ( CAS) ; Sepeteri , Nigeria, 3♀♀ ( OLM) ; Zaria , Nigeria, 2♀♀ ( CAS) ; Afrique occidentale, no data, 1♀ ( MNHN) ; Basse-Casamance , Senegal, 2♀♀ ( MSNV) ; Outamba , Sierra Leone, 2♀♀ ( NHM) . The total number of examined specimens: 94♀♀ .

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by the ferruginous-brown basal body colour with numerous suffused yellow markings, including coxa, femur and all tibia; in addition, wing nervature and all tarsi are yellowish, in contrast to morphologically very similar R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) , which has both of these in brown colour. These two species overlap in the entire distribution range of R. soikae sp. nov., causing problems in species determination. There are only three moderately-reliable morphological characters that can be useful; R. soikae sp. nov. is generally more slender, tends to have more elevated and rounded scutellum and longer eye setae. Males of R. soikae sp. nov. are unknown.

Description. Females. Wing length: 8.9–9.9. Colour. Basal colour ferruginous-brown or even lightly ferruginous, with numerous yellow markings ( Figure 33a ); specimens from Gambia can have very xanthic appearance (all metasomal segments with posterior yellow bands), while those from the Central African Republic are somewhat darker ( Figure 33a ). Clypeus completely yellow or yellow with suffused light brown basal spot ( Figure 33b ). Mandible yellow (except dark-brownish area under teeth edges); gena with yellow area, sometimes tempora with faint yellow line, inner orbit with thick yellow line connected to interantennal area ( Figure 33b ). Pronotum with large yellow area, mesopleuron sometimes with apical yellow spot ( Figure 33a ). Mesonotum usually ferruginous, sometimes with yellowish area lateral to parapsidal furrows or minute yellow markings near tegula. Scutellum and metanotum lightly brown or brown, occasionally with faint bilateral yellow spots. Coxa I, usually I– III with yellow markings, femur and tibia commonly with yellow patches, tarsi yellowish ( Figure 33a ). T1 with thin posterior yellow band, T2 usually with posterior band and two separate yellow spots. Occasionally T3–T5 or even T3–T6 with posterior suffused yellow bands. Wings yellowish, nervature and stigma lightly brown or yellowish, apical spot lightly brown. Antenna orange ( Figure 33b ), rarely slightly darkened dorsally.

Head. Clypeus broader than long, with convex surface and curved upes ( Figure 33b ). Clypeus basally coarsely and largely punctate, similar to frons. Clypeal apex longer ( Figure 33b ). Inner orbit usually with poorly developed shallow punctures, occasionally with a few better-defined ones. Gena shallowly punctate, sparse and less defined towards occipital carina. Entire head covered by yellowish pubescence and some protruding golden setae. Ocellar triangle equidistant or with longer base. Eyes covered by setae of intermediate length (this feature is used to separate this species from R. guttatipennis DE SAUSSURE ).

Mesosoma. Pronotum and mesonotum covered by weak and intermediate-sized punctures, mesopleuron laterally with stronger and larger punctures. Area lateral to parapsidal furrow sparsely punctate. Metapleuron largely and shallowly punctate, with diagonal impunctate area. Scutellum rounded, with median carina reaching between half and three quarters of scutellar length; anterior half dark brown or black, posterior ferruginous or brown. Metanotum usually without median tooth, rarely with blunt developed tooth, as opposed to sharper tooth in R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) . Propodeum striae, with developed superior carina and absent inferior propodeal carina.

Metasoma. T1 similar to R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) , T2 usually conspicuously longer than S2, yielding oblique cut-out (rarely T2 and S2 are of equal length, yielding a perpendicular cut-out).

Males are unknown. Several specimens were considered males of this species, but neither exhibited more than one feature that could be used to link it to females. Due to morphologic and genetic similarity with R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) , males of this species are probably similar, possibly even to a degree of inability to separate these two taxa. This situation must be resolved by the nest series or genetic analysis of newly collected specimens.

Distribution. Senegal to Central African Republic.

Etymology. The name is given in memory of Antonio Giordani Soika (1913–1997), one of the most productive taxonomists working on the African Vespidae .

Taxonomic note. A series of specimens from the Hamon collection in the MNHN in Paris, where Giordani Soika had labelled them as R. hamoni sp. nov., but he never published this name, making it invalid. The collection contained a mix of specimens of R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) and R. soikae sp. nov.

Similar species. R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) has darker brown basal colour, a lesser extent of yellow colour on the body and differently shaped scutellum; scutellum of R. soikae sp. nov. is more rounded, elevated and usually has weakly developed median carina, alongside commonly developed metanotum median tooth.

Genetic data. A total of seven specimens were successfully genotyped, with two clusters; one from the Central African Republic (BOLD:ADN4806) and the other extending from Benin to Nigeria (BOLD:ADO2946). Specimens from Western parts of the distribution range (as far as Senegal and Gambia) had failed at various stages of the sequencing process. This species was in a sister position to R. copelandi sp. nov. The analysis of 28 rDNA yielded shared sequences with R. dondo sp. nov. and R. copelandi sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 33. Ropalidia soikae sp. nov., female. a. infero-oblique view. b. head.