Dasymutilla formicalia Rohwer

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 : 52

Dasymutilla formicalia Rohwer

Dasymutilla formicalia Rohwer, 1912 . Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 41:463. Holotype female, Federal District of Mexico , 7-8- 10 (No. 14175) [USNM] (examined).

Diagnosis of Female. The coloration of this species is diagnostic. The dorsum is predominantly concolorous, clothed with iridescent, bright orange to red setae. There is a patch of black setae on tergum II anteriorly, and the apical fringes of terga II and III (and sometimes IV) have some black setae medially, while the pleura, venter, and legs are clothed with pale setae. Tergum II lacks integumental maculae. This species has the head distinctly narrower than the mesosoma, the antennal scrobe is strongly carinate dorsally, the gena is carinate, the mesosoma is of equal length and width, a scutellar scale is absent, and sternum II is merely punctate, not at all scabrous.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Mexico (Distrito Federal, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelos, Sinaloa).

Remarks. This species is known only from the female. Dasymutilla erythrina and D. formicalia might be conspecific. As with D. erythrina , one could easily go wrong at couplet #2 of the key, as the mesosoma is of equal length and width. Just as the males of D. erythrina may vary in the color of setae on the pleura and legs, this variation in the females of these two species may be nonspecific. The two are nearly identical morphologically.

This is a relatively uncommon species, known from fewer than a dozen specimens. All known specimens have been examined.