Ropalidia distigma
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Ropalidia distigma is a species of paper wasp in the family Vespidae. It is found in southern and southeastern Africa. These wasps construct vertically orientated paper nests with horizontally orientated cells. Wasps of the Polistes genus, on the other hand, construct nests oriented horizontally with the vertically oriented cells.
The wasp larvae are fed soft-bodied insects such as caterpillars. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ropalidia distigma sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 47th most-seen of the 213 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ropalidia distigma in Johannesburg on a given day, against about 10% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of Johannesburg's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 130 mm in December.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ropalidia distigma sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Ropalidia distigma sightings, Johannesburg has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%) and Durban (South Africa, under 5%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Ropalidia distigma that you can see in Johannesburg (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Double-Banded Carpenter Bee (about 20%), Polistes badius (about 10%) and White-Headed Large Carpenter Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ropalidia distigma is recorded against all the insects logged in Johannesburg (30 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
