Simopone rabula Bolton & Fisher
  Type location Tanzania (Bolton
& Fisher, 2012: 34, not illustrated, worker) 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) - no images on Antweb (October 2014)  .
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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.
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