Smicromutilla beadugrimi Pitts & Manley

Pitts, James P. & Manley, Donald G., 2004, A Revision of Lomachaeta Mickel, with a new species of Smicromutilla Mickel (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Zootaxa 474, pp. 1-27 : 20-21

Smicromutilla beadugrimi Pitts & Manley , New Species

Diagnosis. Its larger size, bidentate mandibles and laterally flattened parameres serve to distinguish this species from S. powelli .

Holotype Male. Coloration. Head, mesosoma and antenna black. Mandible and antennal tubercle brown orange. Tegula and legs brown. Metasoma orange except sixth segment brown apically and seventh segment completely brown.

Head. Head width 1.2 mm. Compound eye maximum diameter 0.49 mm. Median ocellus 0.08 mm, lateral ocellus 0.07 mm, ocellocular distance 0.42 mm, and interocellular distance 0.05 mm. Mandible bidentate with dorsal carina terminating ~0.33 from apex. Malar space 0.092 mm. Front, vertex and gena nitid, with sparse, shallow punctures and erect, pale black setae. Front more closely and coarsely punctate than vertex. Clypeus convex, highest along midline, closely punctate and with erect, black setae and shorter white setae. Gena with sparse, shallow punctures, weakly separated from postgena. Pedicel and flagellomere I approximately equal in length, flagellomere I distinctly shorter than flagellomere II. Length of scape, pedicel and first three flagellomeres: 0.37, 0.11, 0.11, 0.18 and 0.11 mm, respectively; width of first flagellomeres 0.15 mm.

Mesosoma. Pronotum nitid, with sparse shallow punctures and erect, pale white setae. Humeral angle rounded. Mesonotum nitid, with sparse punctures and erect, pale black or white setae. Parapsidial furrows obsolete. Scutellum with large punctures more closely spaced than mesonotum and erect, pale black or white setae. Propleuron with large punctures, 3– 4 X larger than pronotal punctures. Mesopleuron shallowly reticulate and with erect, pale white setae. Metapleuron and sides of propodeum nitid, glabrous. Posterior face of propodeum broadly, shallowly reticulate, some punctures confluent. Tegula disk nitid, impunctate medially, margins with sparse punctures. Wings hyaline with pterostigma 0.16 mm in length along costa. Marginal cell 0.42 mm in length. Second submarginal cell pentagonal, 0.30 mm in length. Legs clothed with pale setae.

Metasoma. T1 nitid, sparsely punctate throughout, with erect, pale white setae. T2 nitid, with sparse, shallow punctures and erect, white pale setae, posterior margin with a band of small, distinct punctures and thin fringe of stouter pale white setae. Felt line of T2 approximately 0.5X length of tergum. T3–5 nitid, with sparse, small punctures and erect, white setae. T6 nitid with erect black setae. Pygidium sparsely punctate and with erect black setae, area undefined laterally, nitid and glabrous anteriorly. S1 elevated into a carina midline; S2 nitid, with sparse, shallow punctures and sparse, erect, pale white setae. S3–6 with sparse punctures and erect, pale setae. Hypopygium with sparse, erect, black setae, deeply punctate, broadly emarginate medially. Genitalia ( Fig. 23 ). Parameres laterally flattened.

Length. Approximately 4.8 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ɗ, USA, California, San Bernardino Co., Granite Mts., 4050’, 9.VI.1980, T. Griswold ( BBSL). Paratypes 2 ɗ, San Bernardino Co., Granite Mts., 4050’, 1ɗ 22–25.V.1983, 1ɗ 3.V.1998, T. Griswold ( BBSL).

Other material. USA, California: Kern Co.: California City, 1ɗ 6.V.1982, 1ɗ 14.V.1995, P.F. Torchio ( BBSL); 12 m E Mojave, 1ɗ 30.IV.1986, P.F. & D.M. Torchio ( BBSL); San Bernardino Co.: Cotton Hills, 3300’, 1ɗ 29.V.1983, T. Griswold ( BBSL); Cottonwood Wash, 2520’, 1ɗ 25.V.1983, T. Griswold ( BBSL); Mid Hills, 5620’, 2ɗ 6.VI.1976, 1ɗ 16.V 1.1980, T. Griswold ( BBSL). Nevada, Mineral Co., Jct. 95 & 306, 1ɗ 17.VI–21.VII.1988, Pan Trap, J.L. Carpenter ( BBSL).

Var ia t io n. Size varies from 3.5–5.3 mm.

Etymology. From the Old English adjective beadugrim “war­furious,” in reference to the blade­like parameres.

Remarks. Mickel (1964) stated that the reduced wing venation is an important character in distinguishing Smicromutilla from other genera. However, only the wing venation of S. powelli is reduced in comparison to Lomachaeta . When S. beadugrimi is compared to S. powelli , it has a much more complete wing venation that is not distinct from that of Lomachaeta . Due to the differences between these two species of Smicromutilla, which are as drastic as the differences between the genera Lomachaeta and Smicromutilla, this species may not be congeneric with S. powelli . However, rather than erecting another monotypic genus, we have chosen to place this species into Smicromutilla.

Figures

FIGURES 14 – 23. Internal view of male genitalia, 14. Lomachaeta chionothrix; 15. L. cirrhomeris; 16. L. hicksi; 17. L. hicksi; 18. L. hicksi; 19. L. ptilohyalus; 20. L. crocopinna; 21. L. hyphantria; 22. L. hicksi; 23. Smicromutilla beadugrimi; scale = 0.20 mm.