Dasymutilla leve Manley & Pitts, 2007

MANLEY, DONALD G. & PITTS, JAMES P., 2007, Tropical and Subtropical Velvet Ants of the Genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with Descriptions of 45 New Species, Zootaxa 1487 (1), pp. 1-128 : 63

Dasymutilla leve Manley & Pitts , new species

Holotype female, Mexico, Sinaloa, 8 mi SE Elota , V-19-62, L. A. Stange [ UCDC].

Diagnosis of Female (Plate C5N). This species can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters, including coloration. This is a relatively unimpressive species having the integument entirely ferruginous, except the terminal segment(s) that is(are) black. The setae are mixed white to yellow and black, giving this species a diagnostic color pattern. Also, the head is quadrate and as broad as the mesosoma, the antennal scrobe is carinate dorsally, the gena lacks a carina, the mesosoma is slightly longer than broad, and lacks a scutellar scale, and the pygidium is longitudinally rugose.

Description. Female: Length, 7–10 mm. Head. Ferruginous, quadrate, clothed with dense appressed yellow setae and scattered long black erect setae; apical half of mandible black, basal half ferruginous, acute at apex and lacking inner tooth; clypeus broadly triangular, slightly concave, glabrous, and straight along anterior margin; scape weakly carinate, smooth and shiny, clothed with scattered yellow setae; flagellomere I slightly longer than remaining flagellomeres; antennal scrobe weakly but distinctly carinate; front and vertex with coarse contiguous punctures, concealed by dense setae; gena smooth and shiny, with only shallow scattered punctures, and lacking genal carina; head width about 1.6–2.2 mm, equal in width to mesosoma.

Mesosoma. Ferruginous, slightly longer than broad (1.6–2.2 mm wide X 1.8–2.5 mm long); scutellar scale lacking; anterior margin slightly convex; dorsum with coarse contiguous punctures; posterior face of propodeum reticulate, with large contiguous punctures; pleura and side of propodeum smooth, shining; dorsum with triangular pattern of dense appressed and erect black setae anteriorly, followed by “V” -shaped pattern of dense appressed yellow setae; propodeum almost bare with few scattered erect black setae.

Legs ferruginous, smooth and shining with scattered white setae, except apices of middle and hind femora with black setae.

Metasoma. Ferruginous, except apical segment(s) black; tergum I smooth and shining with few shallow scattered punctures; disk of tergum II with shallow contiguous punctures; pygidium longitudinally rugose; sternum I with short sharp carina produced into tooth posteriorly; tergum I with only few scattered erect setae and thin brush of appressed pale setae medially; tergum II with only scattered erect black setae, except broad apical band with appressed black setae, narrowly interrupted medially with white setae; tergum III entirely with dense black setae, except narrowly interrupted medially with white; remaining terga with white setae.

Male. Unknown.

Paratypes. 2♀, same data as holotype (1♀, UCDC; 1♀, DGMC) .

Distribution. Mexico (Sinaloa).

Etymology. From the Latin levis “simple,” in reference to its relatively unimpressive appearance.

Remarks. This species is known only from the female and keys with relative ease. The mesosoma of the holotype is broken.