Odontophotopsis aufidia Mickel

Pitts, James P., Wilson, Joseph S., Williams, Kevin A. & Boehme, Nicole F., 2009, Velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of the Algodones sand dunes of California, USA, Zootaxa 2131, pp. 1-53 : 22

Odontophotopsis aufidia Mickel

Odontophotopsis (Odontophotopsis) aufidia Mickel, 1983 . Ann. Amer. Ent. Soc. 76: 541. Male. Holotype data: Taft, California, 12 Jun 1942, W.C. Cook (UMSP).

Diagnosis of male. This species possesses the following combination of characters: the mandible is excised ventrally forming an angle and tapering towards the apex ( Fig. 43 ), the mesosternum only has one pair of distinct spines that are prominent, subconical, acute at apex, and separated by a wide U-shaped sinus, the metasternum is bidentate, and the pygidium is granulate, but is not defined laterally by carinae. The genitalia are illustrated in Fig. 9 .

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. California, Imperial Co., Glamis , 7 mi. E, 1 male, 11.Apr.1973, M.S. Wasbauer ( CDFA).

Distribution. Southern California northward into the Californian Central Valley.

Remarks. This species is abundant in the Central Valley of California, but is rare in the Coachella Valley and on the Algodones Sand Dunes. The female of this species will likely be confused with the female of O. arcuata .

Mickel and Clausen (1983) suggest that this species is closely related to O. alemon , a member of the O. parva species-group. We concur and place this species in the O. parva species-group.

Figures

FIGURES 31 – 46. Lateral view of mandible, 31 – 40 female and 41 – 46 male. 31. O. arcuata; 32. O. inconspicua; 33. O. melicausa; 34. O. obscura; 35. O. parva; 36. O. villosa; 37. Sphaeropthalma blakeii; 38. S. difficilis; 39. S. militaris; 40. S. triangularis; 41. O. ambigua; 42. O. arcuata; 43. O. aufidia; 44. O. melicausa; 45. O. becki; and 46. O. django.

FIGURES 7 – 22. Dorsal view of genitalia, except Figs. 15, 17, 19, and 21 lateral view of cuspis. 7. Odontophotopsis ambigua; 8. O. arcuata; 9. O. aufidia; 10. O. biramosa; 11. O. clypeata; 12. O. inconspicua; 13. O. melicausa; 14 and 15. O. obscura; 16 and 17. O. parva; 18 and 19. O. quadrispinosa; 20 and 21 O. sonora; and 22. O. villosa.