Ropalidia perovici Polašek, 2025

Ropalidia perovici Polašek sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F3AAB0BD-5CD1-4BB2-9DBE-6CF97E930DBC

Type specimens: Holotype: Voyager , Mombasa, Kenya, 1♀ ( HPM.06) . Paratypes: Jadotville, DR Congo, 1♀ ( RMCA); Kakanda Mutaka, DR Congo, 1♀ ( RMCA); Kambove , 200 km W, DR Congo, 1♀ ( NHM); Katanga , Kamina , DR Congo, 1♀ ( RMCA); Kinshasa , Lovanium , DR Congo, 4♀♀ ( RMCA); Rwnezori , DR Congo, 1♀ ( NHM); Nanyuki , Kenya, 1♀ ( NHM); Blantyre, Nyassaland , Malawi, 1♂ ( NHM); Mlanje , Malawi, 1♂ ( NHM); ineligible “Iareha, Rhcdera”, no data, 1♀ ( NHM); Astrida , Ruanda, 1♀ ( RMCA); Auckland park, Kingsway , South Africa, 2♀♀ ( CBCG); Elans river , Waterval , South Africa, 1♀ ( OLM); Itala Game Reserve , South Africa, 1♀ ( SAM); Limpopo, Nylstrom , South Africa, 1♀ ( OLM); Modimole , South Africa, 2♀♀ ( OLM); Paddock , South Africa, 3♀♀ ( MCSN); Pretoria , South Africa, 3♀♀ ( RMCA); Rustenburgh , Transvaal , South Africa, 1♀ ( MSNV); Saldanha Bay , South Africa, 1♀ ( SAM); Schoemanville , South Africa, 1♀ ( NHM); Thabazimbi , Limpopo, South Africa, 1♀ ( OLM); Waterval , Mpumalanga, South Africa, 2♀♀ ( OLM); Waterval-Boven , Elani river , South Africa, 1♀ ( OLM); Kibonoto , Tanzania, 1♀ ( NHRS); Malagarasi , Kigoma, Tanzania, 1♀ ( NHM); Mt Elgon , Uganda, 1♀ ( NHM); Abercorn (Mbala), Zambia, 1♀ ( MSNV); Chingola , 50 km W, Zambia, 1♀ ( OLM); Kasempa , Zambia, 2♀♀ ( OLM); Kasempa, NW, Zambia, 2♀♀ ( OLM); Kitwe , 60 km SE, Zambia, 1♀ ( OLM); Mkushi , Zambia, 2♀♀ ( OLM); Mwinilunga , Zambia, 2♀♀ ( AMNH); Solwezi , Zambia, 1♀ ( OLM); Solwezi , 60 km W, Zambia, 1♀ ( OLM); Solwezi, W, Zambia, 1♀ ( OLM); Bulwayo , route 8, Zimbabwe, 1♀ ( OLM); Chishawasha , Salisbury , Zimbabwe, 1♀ ( NHM); Mwuma , Chatsworth , Gutu , Zimbabwe, 1♀ ( OLM); Nyika , 50 km E of Masvingo, Zimbabwe, 1♀ ( OLM); Salisbury , Mashonaland / Harare, Zimbabwe, 2♀♀ ( NHM); Selukwe , Rhodesia del Sud , Zimbabwe, 1♀ ( MNHN). The total number of examined specimens: 57♀♀, 2♂♂ .

Diagnosis. Larger species that resembles R. clepsydra sp. nov. and R. fita sp. nov. Females are characterized by the developed inferior carina, overall longer pilosity, brown-reddish with black colour, absence of yellow markings on mesosoma and metasoma and bicolorous AF1. Males are easily recognized by predominantly brown clypeus and very acute terminal flagellomere.

Description. Female. Wing length: 9.4–11.2 mm. Colour. Basal colour brown-reddish or dark brown, without any yellow markings on pronotum, somewhat darker legs and yellowish fore wing ( Figure 45a View FIGURE 45 ). We identified three colour clusters of this species.

a) East coastal cluster. Numerous yellow markings on head, including interantennal area and thin yellow markings under upes ( Figure 102a View FIGURE 102 ). T2 without (or with very thin) posterior yellow band. Thorax underside and legs ferruginous. Antenna proximally ferruginous, distally blackened ( Figure 44 View FIGURE 44 cc). East Coast of Africa, from Kenya to Mozambique.

b) Inland cluster. Darker appearance, including bicolorous antenna ( Figure 44 View FIGURE 44 cc), with darkened or even black thorax underside, dark brown legs and black tarsi. Clypeus with yellow (sometimes whitish-yellow markings); lightly coloured features of head thinner ( Figure 102b View FIGURE 102 ). Zambia and Zimbabwe, parts of South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga).

c) South coastal cluster. Ferruginous basal colour, with reduced yellow markings on the head (can be almost entirely absent; Figure 102c View FIGURE 102 ), ferruginous antenna and lack of black markings ( Figure 102d View FIGURE 102 ). Thick posterior yellow band on T2 . South Africa ( Natal , Western Cape) .

Head. Clypeus wider than long, upes curved, oculo-clypeal angle not developed; clypeus shallowly punctate ( Figure 102a View FIGURE 102 ). Inner orbit with some punctures, but area close to eye impunctate (usually this imunctate area corresponds to yellow line along inner eye margin; this feature is useful in separation from R. clepsydra sp. nov., which does not have impunctate area close to eye). Gena wide, usually wider than eye. Frons densely punctate, vertex and tempora with less defined punctures, gena punctures large and shallow, but retained close to occipital carina. Eye setae very short or absent. Ocellar triangle equidistant or with broader base. Body covered by yellowish-golden shorter pubescence; setae on frons predominantly straight (tips predominantly not bent), hair length usually equal to ocellar diameter (as opposed to R. fita sp. nov., which has setae longer than ocelli diameter). AF1 longer than scape, AF2 about 1.2–1.4 times as long as wide.

Mesosoma. Pronotum and mesopleuron with large punctures; those on mesonotum sometimes smaller. Area lateral to parapsidal furrows sparsely punctate. Metapleuron shallowly punctate, with impunctate diagonal area (specimens from Tanzania and Kenya have almost impunctate metapleuron; Figure 44 View FIGURE 44 bb).Scutellar carina moderately developed, anterior half commonly black, posterior brown, just slightly protruding above surface. Metanotum usually without median tooth (specimens from South Africa have irregular upper surface or even a tissue bulge that resembles weakly developed tooth). Propodeum with strong striations and very variable contour; it ranges from poorly developed upper carina and almost inexistent inferior propodeal carina, to very strongly developed upper carina that almost reaches very developed inferior propodeal carina (usually broken down by oblique striations). Specimens with strongly developed upper carina and inferior propodeal carina resemble R. clepsydra sp. nov., while specimens from the South coastal cluster have less developed inferior carina. Inland cluster has very strongly developed inferior propodeal carina that may create an L-shaped structure ( Figure 45b View FIGURE 45 ).

Metasoma. T1 resembles other species of guttatipennis group, but may be somewhat broader. T2 elongated, with parallel sides for over half of its length. T2/S2 suture visible for about third of segment length, T2/S2 notch on T2 lamella wide and visible. Lamella shorter, yellowish or brown, translucent.

Males. Wing length: 10.1–10.9 mm. Colour. Resembles female, with less yellow colour on head compared to other species; clypeus mainly brown, with only remaining thin yellow line latero-basally in more melanic specimens, while more lightly coloured specimens have yellow clypeus with suffused large brown spot ( Figure 58a View FIGURE 58 ). Interantennal area and inner orbit with suffused yellow. Gena with small yellow triangular spot under eye; tempora, frons and vertex brown. Mandible basally brown, with either antero-basal yellow spot ( Figure 58a View FIGURE 58 ; this is a unique feature across the mainland African Ropalidia , since other species have a basal origin of yellow mark on mandible or entirely yellow mandible). Mesosoma underside brown, with at most suffused yellow areas on coxa I and anterior surface of mesopleuron. Antenna similarly coloured to females; scape and pedicel ferruginous, AF1 basally ferruginous, distally becomes black; remaining segments black from above; scape yellow underneath, remaining segments orange-ferruginous underneath.

Head. Clypeus wider than long (about 1.4 times as wide as long), with rounded edges, curved upes and slightly projecting apex ( Figure 58a View FIGURE 58 ). Basal three quarters of the clypeus largely and densely punctate ( Figure 58a View FIGURE 58 ). Clypeus covered by silvery pubescence and protruding fine longer setae. Frons covered by longer golden setae that often have bent tips. Ocellar triangle acute forwardly. Gena about half of eye width, covered by strong and well-defined punctures; occipital carina more developed, sinuate. Scape thickened; AF2 about 1.8–2.2 times as long as wide. Tyloids originate at AF1, where they are very thin, but extend along the entire flagellomere length. Tyloids on AF2 and more distal segments gradually widen, occupying nearly entire inner surface on AF11. Terminal flagellomere elongated, equally curved on the outer margin, tip very acute ( Figure 58b View FIGURE 58 ).

Mesosoma. Tarsal spur I not developed.

Metasoma. S7 mildly concave.

Male-female pairing strength: moderate. The link is based on the overall appearance, morphological similarities, distribution pattern and inability to pair males to other species; the genetic distance of genotyped females, especially in the 28S rDNA, suggest that this species is somewhat more distant from all others. However, the examined male specimens were not genotyped, nor were they a part of the nest series, therefore yielding at best a moderate male-female pairing strength.

Distribution. South Africa (47% of examined specimens), Zambia (24%), Zimbabwe (10%), DR Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Ruanda, Tanzania, Namibia (observation only).

Etymology. The name is in memory of Franjo Perović (1948–2013), who was a keen supporter of the principal author in the early stages of his Polistinae research.

Similar species. This species may present some problems, as females may resemble several other species. Females may resemble R. clepsydra sp. nov., which has a much stronger punctures in females, especially on metapleuron and inner orbit. Secondly, some confusion is possible with R. fita sp. nov. females, which have longer setae with bent tips on the frons and mesonotum as the principal separation feature, accompanied by R. fita sp. nov. larger size. Thirdly, females may resemble R. dondo sp. nov., especially specimens that have similar colouration pattern. In such cases, it is possible to use female antenna colour, which is commonly black in R. perovici sp. nov. (at least distal segments), while R. dondo sp. nov. commonly has an orange antenna or at most darkened from above, but not black. Lastly, problems may arise in the separation of R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) , primarily due to the large extent of variability of that species. In such cases, the structure of propodeum can be used in separation; propodeum excavation is deeper and striae are stronger in R. perovici sp. nov. The colour pattern of the antenna can also be useful; R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) has a very variable antenna colour (ranging from orange to black), but never in the bicolorous pattern on AF1, with proximal part ferruginous and distal part and more distal flagellomeres black, which is common in R. perovici sp. nov. ( Figure 44 View FIGURE 44 cc). Lastly, R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) has no inferior propodeal carina developed. It should also be noted that the two species are to a degree allopatric, at least in the brown form; specimens of R. guttatipennis (DE SAUSSURE) with no yellow colour on mesosoma and metasoma are usually only found in Western Africa. Nevertheless, some confusion is possible, suggesting that DNA might be needed in the most dubious cases to separate these two species. Males are easily separated from all other species by the terminal flagellomere shape, and large brown suffused spot on clypeus.

Genetic data. Four separate BINs were assigned, two from Zambia (BOLD:ADN5037, ADN6152), one from Kenya (BOLD:ADM2243), and one from the South Africa (BOLD:ADS5790).