Description:

Queens of this species are relatively large, ranging from 2.1 to 2.5 cm. Workers are average sized at 1.4 to 1.8 cm and males are slightly larger than females at 1.6 to 2.2 cm. Body hair is short and even and ocelli are high on the face. Queens and workers are similar in appearance. Characteristics of queens and workers include a black face and top of the head; thorax with yellow along the anterior section and black posteriorly, with occasional yellow hairs mixed in; wings with a distinct black band; abdominal segments T1, T2 and T3 are always yellow with the remaining abdominal segments being black.  Males are similar in appearance to queens and workers but males tend to have more interspersed yellow hairs throughout. Additional yellow hairs can be observed on the entire abdomen and posterior sections of the thorax. Male faces are mostly yellow, with scattered black hairs (Mitchell 1962, Williams et al. 2014)