Ropalidia is a large genus of
eusocial paper wasps (
Polistinae) in the
tribeRopalidiini distributed throughout the
Afrotropical,
Indomalayan and
Australasian biogeographical regions. The genus Ropalidia is unusual because it contains both independent and swarm-founding species.[1]Ropalidia romandi is one of the swarm founding species, meaning that new nests are founded by a large group of workers with a smaller number of inseminated females (egg-laying foundresses),[2] while Ropalidia revolutionalis is independent-founding, meaning that each nest is founded by a single foundress.[3]
Description
Ropalidia can be distinguished from other genera in the tribe by: the
pronotum having a dorsal carina but lacking a pretegular carina, the first
metasomal segment being petiolate but (in dorsal view) not parallel-sided, and the mesepisternum lacking a scrobal sulcus.[4]
^Hunt, James H. (2007). The Evolution of Social Wasps. Oxford University Press. pp. 57–60.
^Yosiaki, Itô (1987). "Social behaviour of the Australian paper wasp, Ropalidia revolutionalis (de Saussure) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)". Journal of Ethology. 5 (2): 115–124.
doi:
10.1007/bf02349943.
Ropalidia is a large genus of
eusocial paper wasps (
Polistinae) in the
tribeRopalidiini distributed throughout the
Afrotropical,
Indomalayan and
Australasian biogeographical regions. The genus Ropalidia is unusual because it contains both independent and swarm-founding species.[1]Ropalidia romandi is one of the swarm founding species, meaning that new nests are founded by a large group of workers with a smaller number of inseminated females (egg-laying foundresses),[2] while Ropalidia revolutionalis is independent-founding, meaning that each nest is founded by a single foundress.[3]
Description
Ropalidia can be distinguished from other genera in the tribe by: the
pronotum having a dorsal carina but lacking a pretegular carina, the first
metasomal segment being petiolate but (in dorsal view) not parallel-sided, and the mesepisternum lacking a scrobal sulcus.[4]
^Hunt, James H. (2007). The Evolution of Social Wasps. Oxford University Press. pp. 57–60.
^Yosiaki, Itô (1987). "Social behaviour of the Australian paper wasp, Ropalidia revolutionalis (de Saussure) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)". Journal of Ethology. 5 (2): 115–124.
doi:
10.1007/bf02349943.