Sphaeropthalma arota

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 : 351-352

Sphaeropthalma arota species-complex ( Cresson, 1875)

Mutilla Arota Cresson, 1875 . Amer. Ent. Soc., Trans. 5: 120. ♀. Holotype data: California, San Diego (UMSP).

Mutilla helicaon Fox, 1899 . Amer. Ent. Soc., Trans. 25: 254. ♂. Holotype data: Nevada (UMSP). Synonymized by Pitts et al. (2009).

Photopsis lingulatus Viereck, 1902 . Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil., Proc. 54: 737. ♂. Holotype data: California, San Diego County, La Jolla ( UMSP). Synonymized by Pitts et al. (2009).

Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) carinata Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. 37: 34. ♂. Holotype data: Baja California, Purissima (NMNH). Synonymized by Pitts et al. (2009).

Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) helicaon coahuilae Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. 37: 34. ♂. Holotype data: lost. Synonymized by Pitts et al. (2009).

Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) helicaon diegueno Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. 37: 35. ♂. Holotype data: Arizona, S. Carlos (CUIC). Synonymized by Pitts et al. (2009).

Diagnosis of male. This species has a weak excision and slight angulate tooth on the ventral margin of the mandible (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 102), the apex of the mandible is oblique, the clypeus being carinate at base, but sometimes delicately so or gibbous, the lack of mesosternal processes or a sternal felt line, and the ventral margin of the paramere having dense setae that are directed inward toward the cuspis (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 100).

Diagnosis of female. The female of this species has the following combination of characters: the mandible has only a weak angulate basal tooth on the ventral margin and lacks a dorsal tooth at the termination of the dorsal carina (see Boehme et al. 2012: Fig. 40, Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 40), the mesosoma and second tergum of the metasoma is covered in brachyplumose orange setae surrounded by white setae along the margins (see Pitts et al. 2009: Figs 97, 98), the dorsum lacks dense appressed setae obscuring the integumental sculpture, the metasoma is petiolate, and the pygidium is granulate.

Material examined. Mutilla Arota Holotype data : California, San Diego, G.R. Crotch, Type no. 1873 ( UMSP). Mutilla helicaon Holotype data : Nevada, Type no. 4642 ( UMSP). Photopsis lingulatus Holotype data : California, San Diego County, La Jolla ( UMSP). Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) carinata Holotype data : Baja California, Purissima ( NMNH). Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) helicaon diegueno . Holotype data : Arizona, S. Carlos , 12–13 May 1918, J. Ch. Bradley ( CUIC) . JTNP: 18–21.Jul.2012: 1 ♂ N7; 1 ♂ N1; 2 ♂ S18. 26– 28.Aug.2012: 5 ♂ T; 3 ♂ S1; 3 ♂ S3; 1 ♂ S5; 2 ♂ S13; 4 ♂ S18. 22–24.Sep.2012: 3 ♂ S1; 1 ♂ S5; 1 ♂ S7; 1 ♂ S13; 2 ♂ S18.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah) and northern Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora).

Activity. This species is seemingly active throughout the season at JTNP.

Remarks. Wilson et al. (2012) performed a phylogenetic analysis of this species. The study concluded that S. arota is composed of four genetically distinct species that cannot be distinguished morphologically based on current methods and suggested that the members of this group be identified as the S. arota species-complex. Currently it is placed in the S. arota species-group ( Pitts & Sadler 2015). From this study, it is likely that only one of the species occurs at JTNP. This complex of species can be locally abundant ( Table 2 & 3; e.g. Pitts et al. 2009, 2010a; Wilson et al. 2012), but is often rare (Wilson et al. 2010).