Rasopone

Longino, John T. & Branstetter, Michael G., 2020, Phylogenomic Species Delimitation, Taxonomy, and ‘ Bird Guide’ Identification for the Neotropical Ant Genus Rasopone (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Insect Systematics and Diversity 4 (2), No. 1, pp. 1-33 : 30

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 ).

Figures

Fig. 7. Distribution map, face view, and lateral view of petiole of Rasopone MAS010 (worker, Costa Rica, 08COSTA-1723), R. cryptergates (worker, Costa Rica, INB0003660648), R. JTL042 (worker, Colombia, MCZ-ENT00716611),and R. JTL034 (worker, Mexico, CASENT0640282). On distribution maps, red dots are sites with UCE sequence data. Red boxes are type locality.

Fig. 8. Distribution map, face view, and lateral view of petiole of Rasopone lunaris (worker, Brazil, Minas Gerais CASENT0644556), R. guatemalensis (holotype worker),R. costaricensis form c (worker,Costa Rica,INB0003659307),and R. JTL027 (worker,Panama,CASENT0633216).On distribution maps,red dots are sites with UCE sequence data. Red boxes are type locality.

Fig. 9. Distribution map, face view, and lateral view of petiole of Rasopone costaricensis (holotype worker), R. politognatha (holotype worker), R. JTL035 (worker, Mexico, CASENT0640453), and Rasopone JTL049 (worker, Colombia, CASENT0644557). On distribution maps, red dots are sites with UCE sequence data. Red boxes are type locality.

Fig. 3. Phylogenetic relationships among a curated set of COI barcode sequences for Rasopone. Black samples were sequenced for UCEs. Red samples were downloaded from the BOLD database.The tree was inferred using IQ-TREE with the data partitioned by codon position. Black circles on nodes indicate high support, which we define as ≥95% ultrafast bootstrap support and ≥95% SH-like branch support.Terminal names match taxonomic changes proposed in paper and provide useful sample identifiers (e.g., extraction codes [EX#] or BOLD process IDs).A complete,unpruned COI tree is available in Supp Fig. S1 (online only).

Fig. 4. Dealate queen of Rasopone ferruginea (Nicaragua, CASENT0624181). Scale bars are 0.5 mm for face view, 1.0 mm for dorsal and lateral views.