Simopone rabula, Bolton & Fisher, 2012

Bolton, Barry & Fisher, Brian L., 2012, Taxonomy of the cerapachyine ant genera Simopone Forel, Vicinopone gen. n. and Tanipone gen. n. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) 3283, Zootaxa 3283 (1), pp. 1-101 : 38

Simopone rabula Bolton & Fisher sp. n.

HOLOTYPE WORKER. HL 1.10, HW 0.80, SL 0.34, EL 0.31, PW 0.61, AIIW 0.62, AIIL 0.58, AIIIW 0.71, AIIIL 0.73, WL 1.40, MFL 0.60, CI 73, SI 43, EL/HW 0.39, EP 0.86, AIIW/AIIL 1.07, AIIIW/AIIIL 0.97.

With head in full-face view the midpoints of the outer margins of the eyes just fail to break the outlines of the sides of the head. ES 0.28 and width of head across broadest part of eyes 0.79; minimum distance between eyes 0.41. Frontal lobes shallowly elevated away from level of clypeus. Cephalic dorsum with scattered broad, shallow punctures. Weak longitudinal ground sculpture also present between the eyes, but this fades out and vanishes behind the level of the posterior margins of the eyes. Leading edge of scape with a few setae, inclined toward the scape apex. Sides of head below and behind eyes with projecting short setae, inclined anteriorly. Cephalic dorsum with numerous short, curved setae that are mostly subdecumbent to decumbent, curved anteriorly near the posterior margin. Ventral surface of head with numerous short setae. Mesosoma in dorsal view narrowest across the mesonotum (maximum width 0.61), broadest across the propodeum (maximum width 0.67). Anterior margin of pronotum marginate to weakly carinate. Propodeum with a fine weak carina between dorsum and declivity. Entire dorsum of mesosoma with broad, shallow punctures, denser on the mesonotum and propodeum than on the pronotum. Mesopleuron almost smooth, with just 1–2 punctures and a distinct transverse sulcus. Propodeal declivity with a band of weak sculpture immediately below the carina. In profile, dorsal surfaces of mesosoma and all abdominal tergites with numerous short, posteriorly curved setae that are subdecumbent to decumbent and densest on AIII and AIV. Standing setae are sparsely present on dorsal surfaces of middle and hind tibiae. AII (petiole) in dorsal view broader than long, its anterior and dorsal surfaces meeting in an angle but without a distinct carina; with a weak transverse ridge and impression posteriorly. Sides of AII shallowly convex in dorsal view, broadest near the midlength, the width across the anterior margin slightly less than across the posterior margin. Dorsum of AII with large, shallow punctures whose diameters are mostly greater than the distances that separate them. On AIII the punctures are slightly smaller than on AII but are even more crowded. On AIV punctures are even smaller but are still crowded, with their diameters at least equal to the distances between them. AIII longer than broad, AIV broader than long (width 0.82, length 0.74). Head capsule and body black; scapes and funiculi dull yellow; coxae and femora brown; tibiae and tarsi yellow.

Holotype worker, Tanzania: Mkomazi Game Reserve , 3°57.43’S, 37°46.12’E, 10.i.1996, tree canopy fogging, 3/49, Drypetes parvifolia , SAM-HYM-C024490 (G. McGavin) ( SAMC).

Closely related to schoutedeni and separated from it by the characters given in the key. In general, rabula is a larger species than schoutedeni but has smaller eyes and a distinctly broader AII (broader than long) in which the sides are weakly convex, rather than straight. In addition, in perfect full-face view the midpoints of the outer margins of the eyes just interrupt the outlines of the sides of the head in schoutedeni , whereas in rabula they fail to do so.