Pseudomethoca sonorae Williams, 2023

Williams, Kevin A., 2023, Taxonomic updates for diurnal velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) in the United States of America, Zootaxa 5301 (1), pp. 105-123 : 117-120

Pseudomethoca sonorae Williams , sp. nov.

( Figs 24–30 , 35–38)

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Females of P. sonorae can be recognized by coloration: the body is uniform orange-brown with mostly silvery setae, except the frons, vertex, T1 apically, T2 anteriorly and posteriorly and T6 entirely with black setae. The following characters are also useful for diagnosis: head clearly wider than mesosoma, head width between eyes less than vertex width; mandible dilated apically; gena and hypostoma unarmed; humeral carina sharp, distinct; pygidial plate transversely rugose. MALE. Males of P. sonorae can be separated from other species in the USA by coloration: body cuticle entirely black, body setae mostly whitish, with tergal fringes composed of simple blackish setae ( Figs 25, 27 ). The following combination of characters are also useful for diagnosis: body size medium (6–7 mm); vertex subquadrate posteriorly; clypeus generally flat with two separated apical teeth; mandible evenly broad to apex; forewing marginal cell longer than stigma length; hypopygium evenly punctate and setose basally, apically sub-truncate; genitalia with paramere basically straight; cuspis with posterior digitiform projection with posterior brush of long setae; cuspis longer than digitus; penis valve unidentate apically with ventral pre-apical lamella. Description. FEMALE (holotype). Body length 7.1–8.0 mm. Color ( Figs 24, 26 ): Integument pale orange-brown, except apex of mandible, antenna and metasoma dark brown. Setae silvery-white, except with pale orange setal patch medially on T2 and setae blackish on front, vertex, mesonotum medially, T1 medially, T2 basomedially, T2 apically and T6 entirely. Head: Large, sub-rectangular; distance between eyes 1.02 × pronotal width, vertex width 1.1 × pronotal width; punctures dense, small; eye medium-sized, distance between posterior margins of eye and vertex 1.05 × maximum diameter of eye; genal carina distinct, not reaching hypostomal carina, continuing to posterolateral angle of vertex; hypostoma without projections; clypeus anterior margin bidentate, spines small, more widely separated than antennal tubercles; F1 1.9 × pedicel length; F2 1.15 × pedicel length; antennal tubercle unarmed, with dense faint small punctures; mandible apically dilated, tridentate. Mesosoma: Length (excluding prothoracic collar) 0.95 × width; mesosoma dorsally areolate-punctate, areolations wider posteriorly; propodeum posterior face mostly smooth; mesopleuron, metapleuron and lateral propodeal face mostly smooth; humeral carina distinct to epaulet, forming obtuse angle at humeral corner; small spine present immediately anterior to propodeal spiracle; propodeum with dorsal and lateral faces separated by weakly serrate carina. Metasoma. T1 not constricted posteriorly, merging evenly with T2, anterior face with sparse punctures, dorsal face areolate-punctate; S1 irregularly areolate-punctate, without distinct longitudinal carina; T2 evenly convex throughout, without elevated, longitudinal carinae, densely areolate-punctate; T3–T5 with fine dense punctures; pygidial plate with irregular to transverse rugae, lateral carinae distinct ( Fig. 29 ).

MALE. Body length 6.0–7.0 mm. Color. Integument entirely black; wings translucent, weakly infuscated, veins dark brown; body setae silvery-white, except frons, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum anteriorly, fringes of T2–5 and T6– 7 entirely with scattered brown setae ( Figs 25, 27 ). Head. Subquadrate posteriorly, frons tightly areolate-punctate, vertex and gena with dense deep punctures; mandible bidentate, evenly broad to apex; clypeus tight areolate-punctate, with vertical sub-concave anteromedial face, anterior margin bidentate, spines small, as equally spaced as antennal tubercles; antennal scrobe with dorsal carina reduced to transverse tubercle; antennal tubercle smooth; gena ecarinate; ocelli minute, ocellocular distance 5.7 × length of lateral ocellus, interocellar distance 1.9 × lateral ocellar length; scape with one anterior carina; F1 1.7 × pedicel length; F2 1.8 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Pronotum with dense punctures; tegula smooth, evenly convex, margins sparsely setigerously punctate; mesoscutum with coarse sub-contiguous punctures; mesoscutellum slightly convex, with dense coarse punctures; mesopleuron with coarse dense shallow punctures; metapleuron and anterior half of lateral propodeal surface faint microreticulate, verging on transversely striate to areolate posteriorly; propodeum coarse areolate dorsally and posteriorly. Forewing stigma small, marginal cell (measured along costa) 2.0 × to stigma length. Metasoma. T1 shape sessile; S1 with low longitudinal carina; T2 with separated punctures, intervals smooth; S2 with sparser coarser punctures; T3–6 fringe setae apparently simple; T3–6 punctures dense; T7 anterior third punctate and setose, with laterally defined faintly rugose pygidial plate, apically with short sparse setae; hypopygium basally with uniform punctures and setae, smooth and roundly truncate posteriorly. Genitalia ( Figs 35–38 ). Paramere sub-cylindrical, basically straight, with moderately long ventro-lateral setae and shorter scattered setae dorsally. Cuspis with digitiform apical finger with cluster of elongate posteriorly directed setae, setal brush subequal to cuspis length. Digitus shorter than cuspis. Penis valve unidentate apically with transparent preapical ventral lamella.

Material examined. Holotype, female, USA., Arizona, Cochise Co., Sierra Vista , 19.IX.2007, P.H. Sullivan ( ASUT) . Paratypes. USA., Arizona, Cochise Co., San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge , 31.341 –109.272, K.A. Williams: 19–22.VII.2020 (1 female, CSCA); 7.VIII.2021 (1 female, CSCA); K.A. Williams and A. Tischechkin, malaise trap, 6–12.VIII.2021 (2 males, CSCA); K.A. Williams and S. Lingafelter, 6–22.VII.2022 (1 male, CSCA).

Distribution. USA (Arizona).

Etymology. This species is named after KAW’s daughter, Sonora Rose Williams.

Remarks. At first glance, the color patterns of males and females of P. sonorae are not extravagant, but they are sufficient to differentiate the species from other known Pseudomethoca . The black setae on the female head and pygidium separate P. sonorae from the other Nearctic species, while the black tergal fringes (coupled with white setae on the rest of the body) are apparently unique to this male, though some undescribed Neotropical males have this general pattern. In Mickel’s (1935) key, the female runs to P. meritoria Mickel, 1924 from Texas, but P. sonorae can be recognized by having black setae on the head and T6 (setae orange on head, silvery on T 6 in P. meritoria ). In Mickel’s (1935) key, the male terminates in the misleading couplet 15: “body clothed with pale pubescence” vs. “body clothed with black pubescence”. The species treated by Mickel as having black pubescence have the body setae entirely black without any traces of silvery setae, ruling out P. sonorae , while those with pale pubescence have mostly pale pubescence with variable amounts of blackish setae on the head, mesoscutum, or metasomal tergites. After treating P. sonorae males as having “pale pubescence” they key out to P. geryon ( Fox, 1899) [presently recognized as a synonym of P. simillima ( Smith, 1855) ]. Males of P. sonorae have the fringes of T2-6 black (T2-6 fringes mostly whitish in dark forms of P. simillima ). Furthermore, P. simillima is widespread in the Eastern and Central USA, but is not known from Arizona, where P. sonorae occurs. Regarding the association of males with females, their co-occurrence, size similarity, pygidial morphology and increased prevalence of black setae on the body indicate the sexes are correctly matched.

Figures

FIGURES 24–30. Pseudomethoca sonorae, sp. nov. 24, 26, 28, 29. Female. 25, 27, 30. Male. 24–25. Dorsal habitus. 26–27. Lateral habitus. 28, 30. Head, anterior view. 29. Pygidium.

FIGURES 31–38. Pseudomethoca species, male genitalia: dorsal view, ventral view, sagittal view, penis valve lateral view. 31–34. P. peremptrix, sp. nov. 35–38. P. sonorae, sp. nov.