Ropalidia nobilis ( GERSTAECKER 1857 )

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 : 108

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:42F5F55D-041C-4CEE-A106-2927C5BDF2AA
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4F5987BA-E803-FFDF-FF11-FA6C76C39C96
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Ropalidia nobilis ( GERSTAECKER 1857 )
status

Treatment

Ropalidia nobilis ( GERSTAECKER 1857) View in CoL

Icaria nobilis GERSTAECKER 1857

Type material. Four females, deposited in MFNB; all four are labelled as originating from Mozambique, collected by “ Peters S ”. The species description does not mention the exact number of specimens ( Gerstaecker, 1857). Therefore , one specimen was selected as the lectotype (specimen with an additional label “ 3548 ”, MFNB designation 5c8584), and three remaining specimens are therefore considered paralectotypes. The label shows the location as “ Tette ”, but it was crossed out, so the exact location remains uncertain .

Comments. Dark-reddish basal colour, with a specific colour pattern of yellow or reddish spots in the more Southern part of its distribution areal, including scutellum and mesopleuron, while mesonotum is commonly without yellow markings, in contrast to R. unidentata GIORDANI SOIKA.

Distribution. Most examined specimens originated from Malawi (35%), followed by Tanzania (21%) and South Africa (12%), with additional specimens extending from DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Genetics. Three BINs were assigned to this species. Two genotyped specimens from Tanzania and one from Malawi were members of the first BIN (BOLD:ADO5729), while the specimens from the two remaining BINs were collected in Mozambique (BOLD:ADN8566) and the South Africa (BOLD:ADO6948). 28S rDNA was sufficient for species delimitation.