Lomachaeta eironeia Williams, 2019

Williams, Kevin A., Cambra, Roberto A., Bartholomay, Pedro R., Luz, David R., Quintero, Diomedes & Pitts, James P., 2019, Review of the genus Lomachaeta Mickel, 1936 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with new species and sex associations, Zootaxa 4564 (1), pp. 101-136 : 112

Lomachaeta eironeia Williams , sp. nov.

( Figs 59 , 69, 70 )

Diagnosis. MALE. This species can be immediately recognized by the unique genitalia, wherein the cuspis and lateral paramere margins have numerous elongate (~5 × paramere width) setae. The following characters are also useful for diagnosis: the body is entirely blackish; the head and mesosoma have coarse separated punctures; the mandible is unarmed ventrally; the forewing has its veins encompassing the basal 0.7 × of the wing; the T1 shape is sub-disciform; the T2 disc is densely coarsely punctate; the T2 fringe is composed of simple setae.

Description. MALE. Body length 4 mm. Coloration ( Fig. 40 ). Entire body black, except mandible, tegula, and legs largely brown. Tibial spurs white. Wings hyaline, veins brown. Body setae whitish, except frons, vertex, and mesoscutum with interspersed erect silvery and brownish brachyplumose setae. Head. Rounded posteriorly, with coarse punctures, coarser on face. Mandible tridentate apically, unarmed ventrally. Gena not carinate. Ocelli small; ocellocular distance 6 × length of lateral ocellus, interocellar distance 2 × lateral ocellar diameter. F1 1.0 × pedicel length; F2 1.6 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Pronotum and mesoscutum with coarse separated punctures. Tegula smooth, margins setigerously punctate. Mesopleuron with coarse contiguous punctures. Metapleuron glabrous. Scutellum slightly convex, with coarse confluent punctures. Axilla sessile with mesoscutum, with smooth curved sharp posterior tooth. Propodeum areolate dorsally, lateral face mostly smooth with faint areolations posteriorly. Forewing with veins encompassing basal 0.7 × wing. Metasoma. T1 shape sub-disciform, with defined anterior and dorsal faces. T2 with coarse dense punctures, intervals smooth; T2–4 fringe setae slightly thicker than disc setae, but not forming bristles. S2 with coarse separated punctures. T3–6 punctate. T7 smooth. Hypopygium punctate, sharply bidentate posteriorly. Genitalia ( Figs 69, 70 ). Paramere dorsoventrally flattened, obliquely downcurving to apex, sub-truncate apically, with long (~5 × paramere width) ventral setae around inner and lateral margins, setae longer and denser apically. Cuspis with posteroventral setae ~5 × cuspis length. Penis valve unidentate apically.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype, ♂, MEXICO, Sonora, km 23, Hwy 16, 5.5 km ENE [Los] Hornos , 23– 26.VII.2008, 27 o 43.71’N 109 o 50.64’W, 40m, M.E. Irwin & R.L. Wescott, malaise in dense riparian forest (EMUS, Figs 59 , 69, 70 ).

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Sonora, Mexico

Etymology. From the Greek, eironeia , irony, in reference to the fact that this specimen was recognized as a new species by KAW only a few months after Williams & Pitts 2009 was published.

Remarks. The genitalia of this species are truly bizarre ( Fig. 59 ), even for a genus with such variable parameres ( Williams & Pitts 2009).

Figures

FIGURES 57–60. Lomachaeta males; lateral habitus. 57) L. theresa; 58) L. snellingella; 59) L. eironeia, sp. nov.; 60) L. polemomechana. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 65–72. Lomachaeta line drawings: female mandible (65, 66), male genitalia, lateral view (67, 69, 71), penis valve, lateral view (68, 70, 72). 65) L. hicksi; 66) L. beadugrimi; 67–68) L. calamondin, sp. nov.; 69–70) L. eironeia, sp. nov.; 71–72) L. juanita, sp. nov.

FIGURES 37–40. Lomachaeta females; lateral habitus. 37) L. hedera; 38) L. beadugrimi; 39) L. powelli; 40) L. warneri, sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.