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Polistinae

Classification and checklist of Afrotropical  paper wasps

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera; Superfamily: Vespoidea; Family: Vespidae)

Checklist compiled by James Carpenter (American Museum of Natural History)

 

  • Genus Belonogaster de Saussure, 1854

  • Genus Polistes Latreille,1802

    • Subgenus Gyrostoma Kirby, 1828

      • Polistes olivaceus Degeer, 1773 (Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion,  Zanzibar. Indigenous to SE Asia, introduced to Afrotropical region and many Pacific ocean islands)

    • Subgenus Polistella Ashmead, 1904

      • Polistes albocalcaratus Buysson, 1905 (Madagascar)

      • Polistes aquilinus Busson, 1905 (Cameroon, Congo Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Sierra Leone)

      • Polistes bituberculatus Buysson, 1905 (Madagascar)

      • Polistes defectivus Gerstaecker, 1871 (Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi,  Mozambique, South Africa (Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal, Western Cape), Tanzania, Zimbabwe)

      • Polistes ellenbergi Buysson, 1908 (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo Republic, Liberia)

      • Polistes fastidiosus de Saussure, 1853 (Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, including Zanzibar, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa (Gauteng, Cape Province), Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia)

      • Polistes haugi Buysson, 1906 (Cameroon, Congo Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria)

      • Polistes madecassus de Saussure, 1853 (Madagascar)

      • Polistes madiburensis von Schulthess, 1921 (Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe)

      • Polistes saussurei Dalla Torre, 1894 (Comoros, Madagascar)

      • Polistes sikorae de Saussure, 1900 (Madagascar)

      • Polistes smithii smithii de Saussure, 1853 (Congo, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe)

        • Polistes smithii neavei von Schulthess, 1921 (Congo, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia)

      • Polistes tristis Meade Waldo, 1911 (Kenya)

      • Polistes tullgreni Schulz, 1906 (Cameroon, Congo)

    • Subgenus Polistes Latreille, 1802

      • Polistes africanus Palisot de Beauvais, 1818 (Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa (Kwazulu-Natal, Western Cape), Tanzania, Zanzibar)

      • Polistes albicinctus de Saussure, 1890 (Madagascar)

      • Polistes badius Gerstaecker, 1871 (Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Yemen, Zimbabwe)

      • Polistes dominula (Christ, 1791) (Ethiopia. Introduced to South Africa: Western Cape. Widespread in Palaearctic region)

      • Polistes loveridgei Bequaert, 1938 (Ethiopia, Tanzania)

      • Polistes macrocephalus Bequaert, 1918 (Congo)

      • Polistes marginalis marginalis Fabricius, 1804 (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Lesotho, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Africa (Limpopo, Free State, Kwazulu-Natal, Western and Eastern Cape), Tanzania including Zanzibar, Yemen)

        • Polistes marginalis baidoensis Giordani Soika, 1944 (Ethiopia, Somalia)

        • Polistes marginalis lindensis Giordani Soika, 1981 (Tanzania)

        • Polistes marginalis meruensis Giordani Soika, 1981 (Kenya, Tanzania)

      • Polistes mysteriosus Bequaert, 1938 (Congo)

      • Polistes ornatus Lepeletier, 1836 (Congo, Kenya, Liberia)

      • Polistes tenellus tenellus du Buysson, 1905 (Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo Republic, Congo)

        • Polistes tenellus lahejensis Giordani Soika, 1981 (Yemen

        • Polistes tenellus minutissimus Giordani Soika, 1981 (Ethiopia)

    • Unrecognised species

  • Genus Polybioides Buysson, 1913

    • Polybioides melainus (Meade-Waldo, 1911) (Central African Republic, Congo, Uganda)

    • Polybioides tabidus (Fabricius, 1781) (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire,  Congo Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Uganda)

  • Genus Ropalidia Guérin-Méneville, 1831

    • Ropalidia aethiopica (du Buysson, 1906) (Most of sub-Saharan Africa and also Saudi Arabia and Yemen)
    • Ropalidia africana (Cameron, 1910) (Gabon to Mozambique)
    • Ropalidia amabala Polašek, Bellingan & van Noort, 2022 (South Africa)
    • Ropalidia acuminata Polašek, 2025 (Zambia, DR Congo, SW Tanzania)
    • Ropalidia amanhii Polašek, 2025 (Tanzania)

    • Ropalidia anarchica (de Saussure, 1853) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia antennata (de Saussure, 1890) (Sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal to Kenya and South Africa)

    • Ropalidia atra (de Saussure, 1890) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia aulaeum Polašek, 2025 (Central African Republic, DR Congo, Republic of the Congo)
    • Ropalidia baki Polašek & Onah, 2025 (Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo)
    • Ropalidia barbata Polašek, 2025 (Burkina Faso)
    • Ropalidia bicincta (de Saussure, 1890) (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia brazzai (du Buysson, 1906) (Cameroon, Republic of the Congo)
    • Ropalidia caesariata Polašek, 2025 (Mozambique, South Africa)
    • Ropalidia capensis (de Saussure, 1862) (Namibia, South Africa)
    • Ropalidia carinata (de Saussure, 1890) (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia clepsydra Polašek, 2025 (Zambia, Zimbabwe)
    • Ropalidia constitutionalis (de Saussure, 1853) (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia copelandi Polašek, 2025 (Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Somalia)
    • Ropalidia crassipunctata Giordani Soika, 1981 (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DR Congo, Republic of the Congo)
    • Ropalidia democratica (de Saussure, 1853) (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia dondo Polašek, 2025 (Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia)

    • Ropalidia dubia (de Saussure, 1853) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia ducalis (de Saussure, 1900) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia excavata Giordani Soika, 1977 (Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, DR Congo)
    • Ropalidia fita Polašek, 2025 (DR Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
    • Ropalidia flavoscutellata Polašek, 2025 (Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo, Uganda)

    • Ropalidia formosa (de Saussure, 1853) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia fraterna (de Saussure, 1900) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia galimatia (de Saussure, 1853) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia grandidieri (de Saussure, 1890) (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia guttatipennis (de Saussure, 1853) (Angola, Cameroon, Congo Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Kenya, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa (Mpumulanga, Kwazulu-Natal), Tanzania)
    • Ropalidia haladaorum Polašek, 2025 (Cameroon, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Uganda)
    • Ropalidia hastata Polašek, 2025

    • Ropalidia interjecta (de Saussure, 1900) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia irrequieta Kohl, 1907 (Djibouti, Eritrea, Oman, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen)

    • Ropalidia kitui Polašek, 2025 (Kenya)
    • Ropalidia kuficha Polašek, 2025 (Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Uganda)
    • Ropalidia luculenta Polašek, 2025 (Kenya)
    • Ropalidia mabawa Polašek, 2025 (Tanzania)
    • Ropalidia macloutsie Polašek, 2025 (Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe)
    • Ropalidia makore Polašek, 2025 (Mozambique)
    • Ropalidia mangoflava Polašek, 2025 (Pemba Island, Tanzania)

    • Ropalidia minor (de Saussure, 1900) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia mosichi Polašek, 2025 (Namibia)
    • Ropalidia nigrocerasina Polašek, 2025 (DR Congo, Malawi, Zambia)
    • Ropalidia nigrofemorata (Cameron, 1910) (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda)

    • Ropalidia nilssoni Giordani Soika, 1991 (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia nitidula (de Saussure, 1890) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia nobilis (Gerstaecker, 1857) (DR Congo,, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe)

    • Ropalidia novissima Giordani Soika, 1944 (Ethiopia, Kenya)

    • Ropalidia nubila Polašek, 2025 (Namibia, South Africa)
    • Ropalidia obscurior Giordani Soika, 1991 (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia ophuzi Polašek, 2025 (South Africa)
    • Ropalidia phalansterica (de Saussure, 1853) (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia perovici Polašek, 2025 (DR Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Ruanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe)

    • Ropalidia prasina (de Saussure, 1900) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia pulchella (de Saussure, 1900) (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia puncta (Fabricius 1804) (Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe)

    • Ropalidia sakalava (de Saussure, 1900) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia salebrosa Polašek, 2025 (Central African Republic)
    • Ropalidia sandamara Polašek, 2025 (Namibia, South Africa)

    • Ropalidia saussurei Kojima, 1998 (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia schulthessi (de Saussure, 1890) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia scottiana (de Saussure, 1890) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia shestakovi von Schulthess, 1931 (Madagascar)
    • Ropalidia soikae Polašek & Kehinde, 2025 (Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone)

    • Ropalidia subclavata (de Saussure, 1890) (Madagascar)

    • Ropalidia tajiri Polašek, 2025 (Kenya)
    • Ropalidia tenebrica Polašek, 2025 (Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia)
    • Ropalidia tenuipilosa Polašek, 2025 (Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe)
    • Ropalidia tomentosa (Gerstaecker, 1857) (Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
    • Ropalidia unidentata Giordani Soika, 1981 (Tanzania)
    • Ropalidia valentula Polašek, 2025 (DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
  • Nomen dubia

References

Bequaert, J.C. 1918. A revision of the Vespidae of the Belgian Congo based on the collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition: with a list of Ethiopian diplopterous wasps. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 39: 1-384.

Carpenter, J. M. 1982. The phylogenetic relationships and natural classification of the Vespoidea (Hymenoptera). Systematic Entomology 7: 11–38.

Carpenter, J. M. 1982. Vespoidea, Masaridae, Eumenidae, Vespidae. In Parker, S. (ed.), Taxonomy and Classification of Living Organisms: 676-677. McGraw-Hill Co., New York.

Carpenter, J. M. 1987. On “The evolutionary genetics of social wasps” and the phylogeny of the Vespinae (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Insectes Sociaux 34: 58-64.

Carpenter, J. M. 1987. Phylogenetic relationships and classification of the Vespinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Systematic Entomology 12: 413-431.

Carpenter, J. M. 1993. Biogeographic patterns in the Vespidae (Hymenoptera): two views of Africa and South America. In P. Goldblatt (ed.), Biological Relationships between Africa and South America: 139–155. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press.

Carpenter, J. M. 1996. Phylogeny and biogeography of Polistes. In Turillazzi, S. and M. J. West-Eberhard (eds.), Natural History and Evolution of Paper-Wasps: 18-57. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Carpenter, J. M. 1996. Distributional checklist of the species of the genus Polistes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, Polistini). American Museum Novitates 3188: 1-39.

Carpenter, J. M. 1996. Generic classification of the Australian pollen wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Masarinae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 69 (4), supplement: 384-400.

Carpenter, J.M. 2001. Checklist of species of the subfamily Masarinae (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). American Museum Novitates 3325: 1-37.

Carpenter, J. M. 2003. On “Molecular Phylogeny of Vespidae (Hymenoptera) and the Evolution of Sociality in Wasps.” American Museum Novitates 3389: 1-20.

Carpenter, J. M. & J. Kojima. 1997. Checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Natural History Bulletin of Ibaraki University 1: 51-92.

Carpenter, J. M. & M. C. Day. 1988. Nomenclatural notes on Polistinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Proceedings of the Washington Entomological Society 90: 323-328.

Carpenter, J. M. & M. Madl. 2009. A catalogue of the Vespidae of the Malagasy Subregion (Insecta, Hymenoptera). Linzer Biologische Beiträge 41 (2): 1871-1935.

Carpenter, J. M., J. Gusenleitner and M. Madl. 2009. A catalogue of the Eumeninae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of the Ethiopian Region excluding Malagasy Subregion. Part I: Introduction, Key to Genera, Genera Aethiopicodynerus GUSENLEITNER 1997 to Cyrtolabulus van der VECHT 1969. Linzer Biologische Beiträge 41 (1): 513-638.

Carpenter, J. M., J. Gusenleitner and M. Madl. 2010. A catalogue of the Eumeninae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of the Ethiopian Region excluding Malagasy Subregion. Part II: Genera Delta de SAUSSURE 1885 to Zethus FABRICIUS 1804 and species incertae sedis. Linzer Biologische Beiträge 42 (1): 95-315.

Carpenter, J. M., J. E. Strassmann, S. Turillazzi, C. R. Hughes, C. R. Solís and R. Cervo. 1993. Phylogenetic relationships among paper wasp social parasites and their hosts (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae). Cladistics 9: 129-146.

Dvořák, L. & J. M. Carpenter 2010. New records of vespid wasps from Yemen with synonymy in Belonogaster (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae and Eumeninae). Linzer Biologische Beiträge 42 (1): 561-563.

Kojima, J. & J. M. Carpenter 1997. Catalog of species in the polistine tribe Ropalidiini (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). American Museum Novitates 3199: 1-96.

Pickett, K. M. and J. M. Carpenter. 2010. Simultaneous analysis and the origin of eusociality in the Vespidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera). Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny 68 (1): 3-33.

Polašek O, Bellingan T, van Noort S. 2022. A new species of paper wasp from the genus Ropalidia Guérin-Méneville from South Africa (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 90: 213–222. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.90.81581

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.

Richards, O.W. 1982. A revision of the genus Belonogaster de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History, Entomology 44: 31–114.

van der Vecht J. & Carpenter, J.M. 1990. A catalogue of the genera of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera). Zool. Verh. Leiden 260: 1-62.

Credits

Photographs © Vida van der Walt (Pretoria). Checklist compiled by James Carpenter (American Museum of Natural History).

Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. 2025. WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. URL: www.waspweb.org (accessed on <day/month/year>).

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