Rasopone MAS010

(Fig. 7; Supp Fig. S47 [online only])

Geographic range. Costa Rica.

Diagnosis

Montane; mandible striate; anterior clypeal margin truncate; side of head bare or with a few inconspicuous short setae; petiole scale-like. Two species are within geographic and size range of R. MAS010:

Rasopone cryptergates (Fig.7; Supp Figs. S8 and S 9 [online only]): lowland; side of head with a few short erect setae; posterolateral margins of vertex somewhat more angular.

Rasopone costaricensis (Fig. 9; Supp Figs. S3 and S 4 [online only]): larger, HW of the smallest measured specimen 1.09, versus 1.00 for both of the measured specimens of R. MAS010; petiole somewhat narrower (average PTI 53 vs 59).

Measurements, worker: HW 1.00 (1.00-1.00, 2); HL 1.13 (1.13- 1.13, 2); SL 0.79 (0.78–0.81, 2); PTH 0.70 (0.70–0.71, 2); PTL 0.41 (0.41-0.41, 2); CI 88 (88-88, 2); SI 80 (78–81, 2); PTI 59 (58–59, 2).

Biology

This species occurs in lower cloud forest.

Comments

This species is known from three specimens that form a DNA barcode cluster. One specimen is a male from Volcán Cacao, a cloud forest site (1,080 m) in the Cordillera de Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica. The other two specimens are workers from Las Pailas, a cloud forest site in Rincon de la Vieja National Park, about 20 km SE of the first site. One of the workers from Las Pailas was collected in a pitfall trap. We were able to examine the two workers.

The COI results place this species near three species from northern Central America and southern Mexico: R. politognatha, R. JTL034, and R. JTL035 (Fig. 3).