Ropalidia plebeiana
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Ropalidia plebeiana is a eusocial temperate paper wasp. It is unique, as it is the only temperate wasp in the typically tropical Ropalidia genus. R. plebeiana is widely distributed in eastern Australia, and recently have been found making huge nest aggregations, with thousands of nests on trunks of trees, in south-eastern New South Wales.
R. plebeiana is in the Vespidae family along with thousands of other wasp species. The genus, Ropalidia, is typically made up of wasps that live in tropical locations, but R. plebeiana is the exception. The genus, Ropalidia is classified as brown paper wasps. Although R. plebeiana does not yet have a place within the taxonomy of the Ropalidia family, it has been discovered to be closely related to R. proletaria.
R. plebeiana is a white-faced, brown paper wasp. It is a medium-size paper wasp, with a reddish-brown-colored body. There are small, thin white rings on its shoulders, waist, and abdomen. Nests of R. plebeiana are seen as a horizontal single comb with an irregular shape, and they are grayish brown in color. Nests have been found to have 1–3 males and anywhere from 13 to 28 females... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-Faced Brown Paper Wasp sighting in Royal National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 100th most-seen of the 175 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-Faced Brown Paper Wasp in Royal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May, July, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-Faced Brown Paper Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate White-Faced Brown Paper Wasp sightings, Royal National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Lamington National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the White-Faced Brown Paper Wasp that you can see in Royal National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Red Bull Ant (about 40%), Red-Headed Spider Ant (about 20%) and Giant Bulldog Ant (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-Faced Brown Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Royal National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
