Dasymutilla campogrande 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 : 36-37

Dasymutilla campogrande Manley & Pitts , new species

Holotype female, Mexico (?), Campo Grande , VII-30-57, PAB [ DGMC].

Diagnosis of Female ( Plate C2O ). This species can be recognized by the posterolateral angle of the head that bears a conspicuous oblique tubercle, and its coloration. The integument is entirely black, except for four circular orange maculae on tergum II, and it has strongly contrasting patches of white and black setae. Also, the sculpture is coarse over most of the body, the antennal scrobe and gena are both conspicuously carinate, the mesosoma has both a scutellar scale and a transverse sinuate carina situated anterior to the scale, and the pygidium is longitudinally rugose.

Description. Female: Length, 10 mm. Head. Black, rounded, clothed with sparse black setae; mandible acute at apex, lacking inner tooth; clypeus transversely concave, anterior margin nearly straight; scape carinate, conspicuously punctate, clothed with sparse pale setae; flagellomere I slightly longer than remaining segments; antennal scrobe conspicuously carinate; front, vertex and gena with coarse contiguous punctures; gena conspicuously carinate; posterolateral angle of head bearing an oblique, elongate, parallel-sided glabrous tubercle directed outward toward eye; head 1.9 mm wide, nearly as wide as mesosoma, ratio about 0.95:1.

Mesosoma. Black, slightly longer than broad (2.0 mm wide X 2.3 mm long); both scutellar scale and transverse sinuate carina anterior to scale conspicuous; anterior margin slightly convex, not emarginate medially; dorsum and propodeum with coarse contiguous punctures; anterior half of dorsum with sparse black setae, posterior half, pleura, and propodeum with dense, sericeous white setae.

Legs black, with sparse white setae.

Metasoma. Black, except four circular orange maculae on tergum II, anterior maculae much smaller; terga I and II with small but coarse contiguous punctures, except surface of maculae with shallow, well-separated punctures; pygidium longitudinally rugose; sternum I with blunt carina on posterior half; sternum II glabrous, with only shallow, well-separated punctures; tergum I with appressed and erect white setae, terga II and III with black setae, except lateral borders of apical fringes white; remainder of metasoma with white setae.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Campo Grande.

Etymology. In reference to the type locality of Campo Grande, Mexico (?); the specific-epithet is a noun in apposition.

Remarks. This species is known only from the female holotype. It is a unique species that keys easily due to the conspicuous orange maculae on tergum II, and the tubercles on the back of the head.

The collection label on the holotype reads only “Campo Grande.” We have not been able to determine with certainty the country of origin, although we believe it to be Mexico .

Figures

PLATE 2. Male genitalia of Dasymutilla. A. D. impressa. B. D. ionothorax. C. D. loreto. D. D. mazatlanorum. E. D. mirabilis. F. D. mirapenis. G. D. modgudi. H. D. naranjo.