Distribution

Nearly the entire Sub-Saharan Africa region. In addition to mainland Africa, this species is also distributed in Yemen. One photograph suggests it might also be present in São Tome (iNat:33195567) (Polašek et al., 2025).

Biology

Social, constructing communal, vertically orientated paper nests with horizontally orientated cells. (Polistes construct horizontally orientated combs with vertically orientated cells). Larvae are fed on chewed-up, soft-bodied insects such as caterpillars. See Polistinae Paper wasp home page for more details.

Reference

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 American Museum of Natural History 39: 1-384.

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

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