Ropalidia crassipunctata GIORDANI SOIKA 1981

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 : 78-79

Ropalidia crassipunctata GIORDANI SOIKA 1981

Type material. Ekododo , Equatorial Guinea, 1♀ [holotype ZSM-HYM-00769]. The original species description refers to two female specimens ( Giordani Soika, 1981). In addition, three females and two males with the same labels (one with an additional smaller label marked as “No. 274”) were recovered from the MFNB, with one male among them, enabling the possibility to describe the male of this species .

Comments. An interesting species of the capensis -group, defined by coarsely punctate T2. This species also seems to show a relatively wide colour pattern variability, ranging from more than half of the body in yellow to nearly no yellow markings on the body (except the head), while at the same time with varying combinations of black and reddish colour.A very useful feature for separation from other species is thin gena in females ( Figure 6a ). Males are described here for the first time.

Males. Material examined. Ekododo , Equatorial Guinea, 2♂♂ ( MFNB.09, MFNB.10) ; N’Gomo , Ogoue, Gabon, 1♂ (PA045) . The total number of examined specimens: 3♂♂ .

Description. Wing length 5.4–6.7 mm. Colour. Very variable; overall darker appearance. Clypeus entirely yellow, with brown or black basal spot ( Figure 51a ); mandible yellow with triangular basal brown or blackish spot. Gena and tempora with yellow markings anteriorly, posteriorll black or ferruginous, vertex black ( Figure 51a ). Mesosoma brown with variable reddish markings; mesonotum, mesopleuron and metapleuron black; pronotum, scutellum and metanotum usually reddish (sometimes with thin yellowish line underneath pronotal carina). Scutellum and metanotum with bilateral reddish or yellowish spots. All three coxa pairs yellow ventrally, brown dorsally. Femur and tibia coloured in ventro-dorsal gradient: ventrally ferruginous, dorsally brown or dark brown. Tarsi brown, terminal segment somewhat more lightly coloured. T1 same colour as propodeum, with posterior yellow-reddish line or remaining three patches (one dorsally and two laterally). T2 somewhat lighter brown basally, with wider posterior band (that can sometimes be thin, but always extends across entire T2/S2 circumference). Wings translucent, nervature and stigma brown. Antenna darkened or even black from above; scape and entire antennal flagellum yellow or yellowish underneath ( Figure 51a ).

Head. Clypeus wider than long with almost parallel sides ( Figure 51a ). Upes evenly curved, OCA weak ( Figure 51a ). Clypeus medio-basally with few intermediate-sized punctures, centrally impunctate, apically with less defined craters ( Figure 51a ). Frons, gena and tempora with large and shallow punctures; inner orbit impunctate ( Figure 51a ). Occipital carina almost straight, well developed. Ocellar triangle wider basally. Eye setae very short and sparse or completely absent. Scape at most about 1.5 times as wide as AF1 base width ( Figure 51a ), AF1 shorter than scape, AF2 about as wide as long. Tyloids not strongly developed, thin, shiny, and slightly projecting above flagellomere surface, originating at AF4 ( Figure 51b ). Tyloids evenly rounded and similarly sided. Terminal flagellomere short, beak-like, evenly curved, with well-developed tyloid along inner surface ( Figure 51b ).

Mesosoma. Mesosoma covered by large and shallow punctures; metapleuron finely and sparsely punctate. Mesonotum with sparser punctures, especially anteriorly ( Figure 87a ). Scutellum of quadratic shape, with rounded edges; median furrow developed, but not deep. Metanotum with large punctures, except posteriorly. Propodeum covered by fine striae and pubescence, upper carina and inferior propodeal carina weakly developed (similar to other species of capensis -group). Tarsal I spur very weak and thin, without hyaline extension ( Figure 87b ).

Metasoma. T2 and S2 with very coarse and large puncture. Terminal sternum concave and shiny, with weakly defined punctures, especially laterally.

Distribution. Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DR Congo, Republic of the Congo (deviation from the species description; the type series specimen label points to Ekododo, Cameroon, which was in the German Cameroon, and today it is in Equatorial Guinea).

Genetics. We did not attempt to sequence any of the specimens, as they were older than 30 years.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Ropalidia crassipunctata GIORDANI SOIKA. a. lateral view. b. head.

FIGURE 51. Ropalidia crassipunctata GIORDANI SOIKA, male. a. head. b. terminal flagellomere.

FIGURE 87. Ropalidia crassipunctata GIORDANI SOIKA, male, a. dorsal view, b. spur of the tarsal segment I of the fore leg.