Distribution

Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Biology

A single nest was observed on iNat (iNat: 44166088). It has about 30 cells, with five female/workers, suggesting a comparatively smaller colony size. A few of the cells are longer than most, giving a nest somewhat uneven appearance. The cell wall is bicolored, with greyish and reddish layers. The opercula are greyish, with reddish nodules, without the free cell wall, and moderately arched above the cell margin. The nest is located on a twig (Polašek et al., 2025).

Reference

Polašek O, Onah I, Kehinde T, Rojo V, van Noort S, Carpenter JM. 2025. Revision of the mainland African species of the Old World social wasp genus Ropalidia Guérin-Méneville 1831 (Hymenoptera; Vespidae). Zootaxa 5626 (1): 001–142. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5626.1.1

Credits

Photographs © Ozren Polašek (Croatian Centre for Global Health, University of Split).

Map illustration © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).