Dasymutilla foxi (Cockerell)

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 : 53

Dasymutilla foxi (Cockerell)

Sphaerophthalma [ sic] foxi Cockerell 1894 . Ent. News 5:199. Holotype female, Juarez , Chihuahua, Mexico, August 26, 1893 (Cockerell) (No. 4964) [ANSP] (examined).

Sphaerophthalma [sic] heterochroa Cockerell and Casad 1894. Ent. News 5:293. Holotype female, San Angustine, Organ Mountains, New Mexico, August 29, 1894 (Cockerell) [USNM] (examined). Synonymy: Mickel (1928:84– 85).

Mutilla phoenix ( Fox) 1899 . Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 25:247. Holotype female, Phoenix, Arizona (H. G. Griffith) (No. 4639) [ANSP] (examined). Synonymy: Manley (1980:153–154).

Sphaerophthalma [ sic] foxi var. arizonica Cockerell 1900 . Entomologist 33:65. Holotype female, Phoenix , Arizona, October 15, 1899 (Cockerell) [USNM] (examined). Synonymy: Mickel: (1928:84–85).

Diagnosis of Female. This species can be diagnosed by having the mesosoma as broad as long, lacking a scutellar scale, and by coloration. The mesosoma has concolorous yellow to scarlet setae, and tergum II has yellow to scarlet setae, except for a triangular patch of black setae on the anterior portion of the tergum. Tergum II lacks maculae. The head of the female of this species is quadrate, but narrower than the mesosoma, the antennal scrobe and gena are not carinate, the mandible is bidentate, and sternum II is not scabrous.

Diagnosis of Male. The male of D. foxi is easily distinguished by having the ventral surface of the hind tibia flattened and arcuate, and clothed with black setae. The head, pronotum, scutellum and metanotum are clothed with scarlet setae (although the head and mesosoma are sometimes white).

Distribution. USA (Arizona, New Mexico); Mexico (Chihuahua).

Host Identity. Diadasia diminuta (Cockerell) ( Hymenoptera : Apidae ) ( Cockerell 1896); D. rinconis Cockerell and D. opuntiae Cockerell (?) ( Hymenoptera : Apidae ) ( Manley and Taber 1978).

Remarks. This species is known from both sexes and keys easily in both. It is very similar to D. dugesii , with which it may ultimately prove to be conspecific. It is distinguished from the latter on the basis of distribution and setal coloration. This is a common species for which several hundred specimens of each sex have been examined.