COLONY FOUNDING IN THE PRIMITIVELY EUSOCIAL WASP, ROPALIDIA-MARGINATA(HYMENOPTERA, VESPIDAE)

1. In a 16-month study in Bangalore, India, about 35% of the newly fou nded colonies of Ropalidia marginata were single foundress colonies an d the remainder were multiple foundress colonies with two to twenty-tw o individuals. 2. Larger colonies did not have a significantly higher per capita productivity, did not produce significantly heavier progeny and did not produce them significantly faster than smaller colonies d id. 3. Predation by the hornet Vespa tropica appeared to be independen t of group size. 4. Single foundress colonies failed more often but no t often enough to make them have a lower average per capita productivi ty, compared to multiple foundress colonies. 5. Some of the advantages of multiple foundress associations came from the greater predictabili ty of their attaining the mean per capita productivity, the relatively lower rates of usurpation experienced by them compared to single foun dress colonies, and the opportunities provided by queen turnovers for workers to become replacement queens and gain direct individual fitnes s.