Dasymutilla paradoxa

Luz, David R., Williams, Kevin A. & Bartholomay, Pedro R., 2016, The mutillid wasps of the Dasymutilla paradoxa species-group (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae), Zootaxa 4193 (2), pp. 361-372 : 362

Dasymutilla paradoxa species-group, new species-group

Diagnosis. FEMALE. The females of this species-group can be immediately separated from other Dasymutilla by their elongate mesosoma that lacks a scutellar scale; specifically, in lateral view, the propodeal height and length are subequal, while other Dasymutilla species-groups have the propodeal height greater than the length. They can be separated from Traumatomutilla species with a similar elongate mesosoma by their globose sub-cylindrical T1, by the four integumental spots on T2 and by the simple postero-lateral margins of the pygidium (bearing raised flanges in Tramatomutilla species with elongate mesosoma).

MALE. The males of this species-group can be immediately recognized by the axillae, which are elongated and contorted into lateral “arms” attached to the scutellum. Most of the species have a seta-filled pit on S2 that is anteriorly situated and all of the species have T2 marked with integumental spots or entirely yellowish, contrasting with the predominantly black to reddish metasoma.

Included taxa. This predominantly Neotropical species-group includes eight species: D. fasciventris Mickel, 1938 ; D. guanacaste Manley & Pitts, 2007 ; D. naranjo Manley & Pitts, 2007 ; D. paradoxa ( Gerstaecker, 1874) , comb. nov.; D. paraparadoxa , sp. nov.; D. phya (Cameron, 1895) , comb. nov.; D. relata (Cameron, 1895) ; and D. sleipniri Manley & Pitts, 2007 .

Host. Unknown for all member of this species-group.

Remarks. Members of the D. paradoxa species-group have not been formally grouped in the past, but the axillar structure of these males and the elongate mesosoma and T1 of the females clearly link these taxa. Only one species, D. fasciventris , is known from both sexes. Genitalia characters and illustrations were given by Manley & Pitts (2007) for D. guanacaste , D. naranjo , D. fasciventris , and D. sleipniri .

Cambra & Quintero (1992) transferred D. phya and D. melissa to Traumatomutilla André, 1901 and placed D. melissa as a junior synonym of D. phya based on the examination of the types for both species. Cambra (1997) then transferred D. icaris and within the comments regarding Traumatomutilla dictynna (Cameron, 1895) in the same paper, stated that sexual associations for T. dictynna , T. phya and T. icaris were made in Panama. No justification for the genus changes in either paper was provided and no diagnosis or description was given for the supposed males mentioned by Cambra (1997). Cambra & Quintero (1992) stated that a formal statement and conclusions supporting the changes made regarding D. melissa and D. phya would be published elsewhere. Cambra (1997) stated that the descriptions of the males were to be published in subsequent papers. Such papers, however, have not been published.

Although three of the included species were placed in the genus Traumatomutilla André, 1901 by Cambra (1997), we place this species-group in the genus Dasymutilla Ashmead, 1899 for four reasons. All of the males and two females were treated as members of Dasymutilla by Manley & Pitts (2007). All of the included species have black tibial spurs, a trait that is common in Dasymutilla and rare in Traumatomutilla ( Quintero & Cambra, 1996) . The species-group is widely distributed in North America, which includes over 150 Dasymutilla species and only one Traumatomutilla species ( Mickel 1936, Manley & Pitts 2007, Nonveiller 1990). Finally, in an unplublished Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction (Williams, 2012, pg. 47), three members of this species-group were recovered within Dasymutilla , as the sister group to D. pulchra ( Smith, 1855) .