Odontophotopsis clypeata Schuster

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 : 8-9

Odontophotopsis clypeata Schuster

Odontophotopsis (Odontophotopsis) clypeata Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 59. Male. Holotype data: Tucson, Arizona, 26 Aug 1939, O. Bryant (UMSP).

Diagnosis of male. This species has a head that is rounded posteriorly, deeply excised mandibles that are slightly dilated apically ( Fig. 8 ), has a transverse clypeus that is slightly depressed below mandibular margins ( Fig. 8 ), but lacks a tubercle situated posteromedially on the clypeus, has a pair of denticulate mesosternal processes, and has a shiny glabrous pygidium. Also, the second metasomal segment is normally castaneous compared to the lightly ferruginous remainder of the metasoma, head and mesosoma . The genitalia are illustrated by Pitts et al. (2009) in Fig. 11 .

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. California, Riverside Co., Deep Canyon, 2 males, 30–31.Jul.2007.

Distribution. Southwestern USA.

Remarks. This species is widespread and common throughout much of the Southwest including Deep Canyon. This species is currently placed in the O. melicausa species-group, which is paraphyletic ( Pitts et al. 2010). The paraphyly of this species-group will need to be dealt within a future revision.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Head, anterior view. 1. Acanthophotopsis falciformis; 2. Acrophotopsis campylognatha; 3. Odontophotopsis acmaea; 4. O. armata; 5. O. aufidia; 6. O. bellona; 7. O. biramosa; 8. O. clypeata; 9. O. inconspicua; 10. O. mamata; 11. O. melicausa; and 12. O. quadrispinosa.