Dasymutilla parkerorum 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 : 79-80

Dasymutilla parkerorum Manley & Pitts , new species

Holotype female, Mexico, Campeche, 10 mi N. Hopelchen, IV-17-62, F. D. Parker [ UCDC].

Diagnosis of Female (Plate C7J). This species can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters, including coloration. It has the integument entirely black except for two circular yellow maculae on the disk of tergum II. The setae are entirely white and black. The head is rounded posterolaterally, and is narrower than the mesosoma, and has both a genal carina and the antennal scrobe carinate dorsally. The mesosoma is coarsely sculptured, slightly longer than broad, and lacks a scutellar scale. The pygidium is longitudinally rugose.

Description. Female: Small, length 5–8 mm. Head. Black, clothed entirely with dense appressed white setae; mandible acute at apex, lacking inner tooth; clypeus nearly straight along anterior margin, coarsely sculptured, with long white setae; scape weakly carinate, clothed with white setae; flagellomeres subequal in length; antennal scrobe carinate; front, vertex, and gena all with coarse contiguous punctures, gena weakly carinate, sculpture may be concealed by dense white appressed setae; head width about 1.2–1.8 mm; relative width of head to mesosoma about 0.9:1.

Mesosoma. Black, longer than broad (1.3–2.0 mm wide X 1.7–2.4 mm long); scutellar scale absent; anterior margin of mesosoma evenly transverse, not emarginate medially; dorsum of mesosoma with coarse contiguous punctures, punctures may be concealed by dense appressed white setae; sides of propodeum smooth, shining.

Legs black, with black setae.

Mesosoma. Black, except for two yellow maculae on tergum II; tergum I with shallow separated punctures; dorsum of metasoma with coarse contiguous punctures, punctation concealed by dense setae except on yellow maculae; pygidium longitudinally rugose; sternum I with blunt carina nearly entire length of segment; sternum II with shallow separated punctures; apical fringe of tergum I white; terga II to III entirely with black setae, except yellow setae on yellow maculae; terga IV to VI with white setae; sternum with long white sparse setae.

Male. Unknown.

Paratypes. 6♀, MEXICO, Campeche, 10 mi. N. Hopelchen, IV-17-62, F. D. Parker (2♀, UCD; 2♀, DGMC); Quintana Roo, Akumal , 20.22 N 87.20 W, 72 km SW Puerto Morelos, X-5-86, F. D. Parker (1♀, EMUS); Yucatán, 3 km E. Chitzen Itza, X-23-91, R. Turnbow (1♀, DGMC) .

Distribution. Mexico (Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatan).

Etymology. Named in honor of Frank D. Parker, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to hymenopteran taxonomy, and the fact that he collected most of the type specimens.

Remarks. This species is known only from the female and keys out very easily. The mesosoma is longer than broad (although not by much), and lacks a scutellar scale. Tergum II has two yellow maculae, whereas the remainder of the integument is black. The known distribution is limited to the Yucatan peninsula.