Rasopone Identification

The table shown here is table 2 from: [[Media:Longino, J.T., Branstetter, M.G. 2020. Phylogenomic species delimitation, taxonomy, and Bird Guide (10.1093@isd@ixaa004).pdf|Longino, J.T. and M.G. Branstetter. 2020. Phylogenomic species delimitation, taxonomy, and ‘bird guide’ identification for the Neotropical ant genus Rasopone (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insect Systematics and Diversity. 4(2):1;1–33]]. In this study they explain: Identification should be carried out using diagnoses in individual species accounts, Figs. 6–13, and Table 2. These figures are standard images and a distribution map of each species, with species in order of mean HW. Specimen identification can be done by measuring the HW, going to that HW in the figures, and working up and down from there to locate potentially matching species. Table 2 provides a list of species in order of size, with key characteristics and geographic ranges." Text from the species accounts are also found on their respective Antwiki species pages and the Rasopone morphospecies page.

Longingo and Branstetter provided some context about these Rasopone identification resources.

The Rasopone identification resources are incomplete due to sampling limitations:

"The sampling of Rasopone species is still a long way from complete. Even with the intensive sampling in Middle America, we were able to examine a total of only 549 species occurrences (i.e., not counting duplicate occurrences of the same species within individual collection events). Among these, we recognized 29 species, but eight of these, nearly 30%, are still known from single occurrences. Panama and South America in particular are terra incognita, where a combination of greater sampling and DNA sequencing would undoubtedly reveal many additional species.

Details about the specimens used for this study:

This study was based on 549 separate species occurrence records. Most of the examined material was from the Middle American corridor (Veracruz, Mexico to Nicaragua). Almost all the specimens were from Winkler or Berlese samples of sifted leaf litter and rotten wood from wet forest habitats. Most material was from large-scale biodiversity inventory projects in Central America and southern Mexico, spanning 25 yr (Projects ALAS, LLAMA, and ADMAC). All holotypes and paratypes associated with the new species described here have unique specimen-level identifiers (‘specimen codes’) affixed to each pin, and most dry-mounted non-type specimens do as well. Specimen codes should not be confused with collection codes, which are associated with particular collection events. When reported, collection codes follow the collector. Collection data are derived from a specimen database and are not direct transcriptions of labels. Latitudes and longitudes, when present, are reported in decimal degrees, as a precise point (five decimal places) followed by an error term in meters. Material examined is not listed in the species accounts, but instead is available as digital supplementary material to this article (Supp Table 1 [online only]), at the journal’s website. Images of holotypes, distribution maps, and all specimen data on which this paper is based are available on AntWeb, where they are subject to future modification (data corrections and reidentifications).

Additional Resources

 * Rasopone
 * Rasopone morphospecies