Rasopone ferruginea (Smith)

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 : 23

Rasopone ferruginea (Smith)

( Figs. 4 [queen] and 11; Supp Figs. S12 and S 13 [online only])

Ponera ferruginea Smith, 1858: 100 . Holotype queen: Mexico [ BMNH, AntWeb image examined].

Euponera (Mesoponera) ferruginea: Emery, 1901: 47 .

Trachymesopus ferrugineus: Brown, 1963: 7 .

Pachycondyla ferruginea: Brown , in Bolton, 1995: 305; MacKay and MacKay, 2010: 319 (description of worker).

Rasopone ferruginea: Schmidt and Shattuck, 2014: 210 .

Geographic range. Mexico (Tamaulipas) to Nicaragua.

Measurements, worker: HW 1.27 (1.19–1.33, 4); HL 1.38 (1.33– 1.45, 4); SL 1.04 (0.99–1.10, 4); PTH 0.86 (0.80–0.92, 4); PTL 0.46 (0.42–0.47, 4); CI 92 (88–94, 4); SI 82 (81–84, 4); PTI 53 (50–60, 4). Measurements, queen: HW 1.33 (1.23–1.43, 2); HL 1.42 (1.31–1.54, 2); SL 1.15; PTH 0.93; PTL 0.50; CI 94 (93–94, 2); SI 81; PTI 53.

Diagnosis

Mandible striate; anterior clypeal margin sinuous; side of head lacking erect setae; petiolar node tapering, scale-like. Three species are within geographic and size range of R. ferruginea :

Rasopone politognatha ( Fig. 9 ; Supp Figs. S28 and S29 [online only]): mandible smooth; anterior clypeal margin truncate; petiole less scale-like.

Rasopone subcubitalis ( Fig. 10 ; Supp Fig. S32 [online only]): anterior clypeal margin truncate; petiole nearly cuboidal.

Rasopone JTL035 ( Fig. 9 ; Supp Fig. S38 [online only]): mandible smooth; anterior clypeal margin truncate; petiole less scale-like.

Biology

This species occurs in a variety of wet forest habitats, across an elevational range of 180–1,340 m. Habitats include mature and second growth forests, from lowland rainforest to cloud forest. Cloud forest habitats include Liquidambar dominated forests in Mexico to mesophyll cloud forest in Nicaragua. Most specimens are workers from Winkler samples of forest floor litter and rotten wood. Student D. J. Cox collected a dealate queen and a worker while hand collecting at night. A worker was collected on a clay bank at a stream edge, and another one was collected at a cookie bait.

Comments

The image of the holotype queen on AntWeb shows the distinctive clypeal shape, with a sinuous, non-trapezoidal anterior margin. The size (measured on image), lack of setae on the side of the head, and the asymmetrical, scale-like node also match material identified here as R. ferruginea . North of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, R. ferruginea is sympatric with R. JTL034 and R. JTL035. In the northern lowlands of Chiapas, it is sympatric with R. minuta and R. subcubitalis . In the Cordillera de Chiapas it is sympatric with R. politognatha . There are no records from Guatemala. In Honduras, it is known from the hills above Tela, where it is sympatric with R. minuta . In Nicaragua, it is known from Cerro Musún, where it is sympatric with R. mesoamericana and R. politognatha .

Figures

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.

Fig. 12. Distribution map, face view, and lateral view of petiole of Rasopone JTL030 (worker, Panama, CASENT0633075), R. JTL037 (worker, Guatemala, CASENT0625283), R. mesoamericana (holotype worker), and R. JTL029 (worker, Panama, CASENT0633053). On distribution maps, red dots are sites with UCE sequence data. Red boxes are type locality.

Fig. 13. Distribution map,face view,and lateral view of petiole of Rasopone cubitalis (holotype worker),R.titanis (worker,Mexico,Chiapas,MCZ-ENT00716640), R.breviscapa (holotype queen),and R.rupinicola (worker,Colombia,face view MCZ-ENT00716589,petiole CASENT0217567).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. 10. Distribution map,face view, and lateral view of petiole of Rasopone costaricensis form b (worker,Costa Rica,INB0003223929),R. JTL047 (worker,French Guiana, CASENT0645960), R. panamensis (worker,Costa Rica, CASENT0644252), and R. subcubitalis (holotype worker). On distribution maps,red dots are sites with UCE sequence data. Red boxes are type locality.