Sphaeropthalma ferruginea (Blake)

Pitts, James P., Wilson, Joseph S., Williams, Kevin A. & Boehme, Nicole F., 2010, Nocturnal velvet ant males (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Deep Canyon, California including four new species and a fifth new species from Owens Lake Valley, California, Zootaxa 2553, pp. 1-34 : 23-24

Sphaeropthalma ferruginea (Blake)

Agama ferruginea Blake, 1879 . Amer. Ent. Soc., Trans. 7: 254. Male. Holotype data: Nevada (ANSP). Mutilla ferruginosa Dalla Torre, 1897 . Cat. Hym. V. 8, p. 40. N. name for Agama ferruginea Blake not Mutilla ferruginea Smith.

Diagnosis of male. This species has a deeply excised tridentate mandible that has a complete dorsal carina and a vertical apex ( Fig. 22 ), has sternal felt lines that are mere tufts, lacks mesosternal and coxal processes, and the genitalia have a clavate cuspis that has bifid-tipped setae located ventrally towards the apex ( Fig. 56 ). Female. Unknown.

Material examined. California, Riverside Co.: Deep Canyon, 2 males, 16.May.1975, coll. J. Trucker.

Distribution. The western Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert and northern California into Oregon and Washington.

Remarks. This species is placed in the S. orestes species-group. Members of this group can be recognized by their deeply emarginate mandibles, the weak sternal felt line and clavate to spatulate cuspis of the genitalia. Sphaeropthalma ferruginea is the only species in this group that has setae on the cuspis that are bifid tipped. All other species have simple setae on the cuspis.

Sphaeropthalma militaris is another species in the S. orestes species-group that possibly be collected at Deep Canyon in the future. It would key out to couple 25 and could be recognized by the rows of inner directed setae present on toward the apices of the parameres of the genitalia (see Fig. 25 in Pitts et al. 2009).

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 24. Head, anterior view; except ventral view 17. 13. Odontophotopsis serca; 14. O. setifera; 15. Sphaeropthalma. amphion; 16. S. angulifera; 17. S. angulifera; 18. S. arota; 19. S. becki; 20. S. blakeii; 21. S. difficilis; 22. S. ferruginea; 23. S. ignacio; and 24. S. macswaini.

FIGURES 49 – 58. Acanthophotopsis falciformis: 49. Genitalia, lateral view (from Tanner & Pitts 2009). Dilophotopsis paron: 50. Genitalia, ventral, dorsal, inner lateral view, and lateral view of penis valve; and 51. Mesosoma, oblique ventral view (from Wilson & Pitts 2008). Sphaeropthalma amphion: 52. Genitalia, dorsal, inner lateral view, and lateral view of penis valve (from Pitts et al. 2004). Sphaeropthalma angulifera: 53. Genitalia, dorsal, inner lateral view, and lateral view of penis valve (from Wilson & Pitts 2009). Mandible, anterior view: 54. Sphaeropthalma angulifera; and 55. Sphaeropthalma mendica (from Wilson & Pitts 2009). Sphaeropthalma ferruginea: 56. Genitalia, ventral view left, dorsal view right. Sphaeropthalma ignacio: 57. Genitalia, ventral view left, dorsal view right. Sphaeropthalma macswaini: 56. Genitalia, inner lateral view left.

FIGURES 25 – 31. Head, anterior view. 25. Sphaeropthalma. megagnathos; 26. S. mendica; 27. S. pallida; 28. S. sublobata; 29. S. tetracuspis; 30. S. triangularis; and 31. S. yumaella.