Sphaeropthalma megagnathos 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 : 356

Sphaeropthalma megagnathos Schuster, 1958

Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) megagnathos megagnathos Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 36. ♂. Holotype data: Arizona, Ehrenberg ( UMSP).

Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) megagnathos aurifera Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 36. ♂. Holotype data: Arizona, Tinajas Atlas Mountains (UMSP). Synonymized by Pitts (2006).

Diagnosis of male. This species can be separated from all other nocturnal species by mandibular morphology: the mandibles are very broadly dilated, especially ventral portion apically, distally much wider than width at ventral angulation, the ventral basal tooth of the mandible is small, and the apex is vertical (see Pitts 2006: Fig. 7 ). Also, the head is long and parallel posteriorly, the clypeus is deeply depressed below the dorsal mandibular margin, the mesosternum lacks tubercles, the wings are yellowish-hyaline, and the sternal felt line is absent. The genitalic morphology also is diagnostic (see Pitts 2006: Figs 17 –19). In some specimens the coloration of the integument and setae are bright orange, while in others the setal coloration varies from orange to white and the integument is stramineous to castaneous.

Diagnosis of female. This species has weak to non–existent ventral angulation located basally on the mandible while the mandible lacks an elongate tooth at the termination of the dorsal carina, distinctly petiolate metasomal segment 1, the granulate pygidium, presence of plumose setae especially on the fringes of the metasomal terga, the sparse long orange setae that does not obscure the integumental sculpturing and the anterior raised areas just lateral of the midline on the second tergum that has tuberculate sculpturing.

Material examined. Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) megagnathos megagnathos Holotype data: Arizona, Ehrenberg , 27 April 1939, F.H. Parker ( UMSP) . Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) megagnathos aurifera Holotype data: Arizona, Tinajas Atlas Mountains , 1905, W.J. McGee ( UMSP) . JTNP: 18–21.Jul.2012: 10 ♂ S18. 26– 28.Aug.2012: 2 ♂ S1; 1 ♂ S18.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, and Nevada).

Activity. This species is seemingly active earlier in the season, but is rare at JTNP.

Remarks. The female of this species was described in Boehme et al. (2012), where it was found to be more abundant than elsewhere (e.g. Wilson et al. 2010). Pitts (2006) treated the taxonomy of this species in more detail along with other members of the S. imperialis species-group ( Pitts & Sadler 2015).

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 8. Odontophotopsis odontoloxia, sp. nov., 5. habitus; 6. head, frontal view; 7. mesosternum; and 8. pygidium.

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.