Odontophotopsis obscura Schuster, 1958

Wilson, Joseph S., 2017, Nocturnal Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California with the description of three new species, Zootaxa 4319 (2), pp. 329-367 : 342

Odontophotopsis obscura Schuster, 1958

Odontophotopsis (Odontophotopsis) territa obscura Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 59. ♂. Neotype data: California, Imperial County, 3 mi NW Glamis, 15–16.Sep.1972, M.S. Wasbauer and A. Hardy ( CDFA).

Diagnosis of male. This species has a head that is rounded posteriorly, has deeply excised mandibles that are slightly dilated apically, lacks a tubercle situated posteromedially on the clypeus, and has an elongate clypeus that is level with the mandibular margins, has a pair of denticulate mesosternal processes, and has a shiny glabrous pygidium. The genitalia are illustrated in Pitts et al. (2009: Figs. 14 and 15 ).

Diagnosis of female. The female of this species has the ventral margin of the mandible being excised and having a rounded tooth (Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 34), flagellomere 1 being as long as flagellomere 2, the lateral margins of the posterior half of the mesosoma being parallel in dorsal view, the first segment of the metasoma being petiolate with the second, the second metasomal segment being of normal length, ~1 × as long as anterior width or just slightly greater, the pygidium being weakly striate to granulate, and by the dense appressed setae present on the dorsum that obscure the integumental sculpture and are distinctly plumose at the base of the setal shaft becoming simple apically.

Material examined. Neotype data: California, Imperial County, 3 mi NW Glamis, 15–16.Sep.1972, M.S. Wasbauer and A. Hardy ( CDFA) . JTNP: 18–21.Jul.2012: 2 ♂ S9. 22–24.Sep.2012: 1 ♂ S9.

Distribution. USA (Arizona and California).

Activity. This species is seemingly rare at JTNP.

Remarks. This species is placed in the O. melicausa species-group and is likely sister to O. territa Schuster, 1958 (Pitts et al. 2009). This species is most abundant in the Sonoran Desert (e.g. Wilson et al. 2010; Pitts et al. 2009, 2010a).

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 18. Odontophotopsis dalyi, sp. nov., genitalia, 13. ventral view, 14. dorsal view; Odontophotopsis odontoloxia, sp. nov., genitalia, 15. ventral view, 16. dorsal view; and Photomorphus schoenwerthi, sp. nov., genitalia, 17. ventral view, 18. dorsal view.