Altra
Ropalidia asiatica, questa a distribuzione molto più ampia, essendo presente in tutto il Sud Est Asiatico, dal Myanmar fino a Java e Borneo.
Secondo quanto osservato da Lieftnick sull'isola di Java nel settembre del 1942, si tratta di una specie particolarmente difensiva, che si fionda all'attacco al minimo disturbo. Riporto qua di seguito il passaggio, che ci fa vedere come anche gli entomologi del passato si ritrovassero in situazioni "buffe":
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Following the track my attention was drawn to a low buzzing sound emanating from the stem of a hollow tree beside the path. When I halted, still at some distance from the tree, I noticed a few black wasps of small size resting at about eye-level on the stem near the entrance of a circular hole (about 12 mm diameter). As the diameter of the hole was smaller than that of my killing-bottle I approached the tree, uncorked the vial, and holding this out horizontally was about to place it thoughtlessly right upon the entrance
of the nest, anticipating the easiest catch of the day. The result was disastrous, for when the bottle was hard upon the hole, all of a sudden the vanguard of what appeared to be a large colony of wasps spurted out of it in a fierce and successful attack. Retrieving, I withdrew the bottle instantly and took my heels, the reward being a single wasp and the realization of having been painfully stung, all in exchange for the loss of several previously caught insects that were flung out of the bottle and strewn all over the forest floor."