Dasymutilla coccineohirta (Blake)

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 : 44-45

Dasymutilla coccineohirta (Blake)

Mutilla (Sphaeropthalma) coccineohirta Blake, 1871 . Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 3:235. Holotype male, California (Iülich)

[ANSP] (examined). Mutilla ochracea Blake, 1879 . Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 7:247. Holotype male, Nevada (Morrison) [ANSP] (examined). Sphaerophthalma [sic.] venifica Blake, 1886. Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 13:210. Holotype female, California [ANSP]

(examined). Mutilla progne Fox, 1899 . Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 25:247. Holotype female [ANSP] (examined). Dasymutilla aletina Cockerell, 1915 . Entomologist 48:249. Holotype male, California, Avalon, Catalina Island, middle

of August, 1915 [USNM].

Diagnosis of Female ( Plate C3J ). This is a brightly colored species in which the dorsum is clothed entirely with yellow to red setae, although the integument is entirely black and the sterna have black setae. It can be separated from similarly colored species by the weakly carinate antennal scrobe, the lack of a genal carina, the lack of tubercles on the posterolateral angles of the head, by having the mesosoma longer than broad, the presence of a scutellar scale, and the rugose pygidium.

Diagnosis of Male ( Plate C3K ). As with the female, this is a brightly colored species in which the dorsum is clothed entirely with yellow to red setae, while the integument is entirely black and the sterna have black setae. It can be separated from similarly colored species by the lack of a pit on sternum II that is filled with setae and the lack of an apical fringe of setae on the pygidium. Also, the antennal scrobe is weakly carinate, flagellomere I is subequal in length to the remaining segments, sternum II is concave, and a rear tooth is present on the carina of sternum I.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington); Mexico (Baja California Norte).

Remarks. The female of this species does not key well. It looks very similar to D. californica but lacks tubercles on the posterolateral angles of the head. The male also looks very similar to D. californica , but can be distinguished on the basis of having sternum II concave and a rear tooth present on the carina of sternum I. This is an extremely common species throughout its range. Hundreds of specimens have been examined.

Figures

PLATE 3. Male genitalia of Dasymutilla. A. D. nocticaro. B. D. sinaloa. C. D. spiniscapula. D. D. truxali. E. D. sleipniri. F. D. veracruz. G. D. wasbaueri.