Dasymutilla homochroma Suarez

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 : 57

Dasymutilla homochroma Suarez

Dasymutilla homochroma Suarez, 1970 . Arch. Inst. Acl. Almeria 15:173. Holotype female, San Miguel , Peru, III-8- 1955 (W. Markl) [MHNB].

Diagnosis of Female. This species is defined by the following combination of characters. Flagellomere I is slightly longer than II. The posterolateral angle of the head is not tuberculate. The mesosoma is slightly longer than broad, and bears a small scutellar scale. The mesosoma is perpendicularly truncate posteriorly. The dorsum of the head and mesosoma are clothed with dense pale golden setae. The posterior face of the propodeum is clothed with long yellow setae. Tergum II is clothed with orange/yellow setae.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Peru.

Remarks. This species, known only from the female holotype, is one of only two species of Neotropical Dasymutilla that we did not examine. Its placement in the key is based on the original description by Suarez (1970). Because no mention was made in the description of either the antennal scrobe or gena being carinate, we assume that they are not.

Suarez also stated that with its dense golden setae, this species is very similar in appearance to D. blattoserica , which is also known from Peru. The general body shape of D. homochroma is more long and slen- der. It also differs in having the head as wide as the mesosoma. The pygidium is longitudinally rugose and trilobed apically.