Sphaeropthalma django Pitts and Wilson

Pitts, James P., Wilson, Joseph S., Williams, Kevin A. & Boehme, Nicole F., 2009, Velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of the Algodones sand dunes of California, USA, Zootaxa 2131, pp. 1-53 : 40-41

Sphaeropthalma django Pitts and Wilson , sp. nov.

Diagnosis of male. This species is recognized by the deeply excised mandible with the tooth forming an acute angle, the lack of mesosternal processes, the marginal cell that is shorter than the stigma, the first segment of the metasoma that is petiolate with the second segment and nitid, and the genitalia that have a long cylindrical cuspis that is setose throughout ventrally ( Fig. 4 ) and parameres with dense setae located basally, but internally directed, along the internal margin ( Fig. 4 ).

Diagnosis of female. The female of this species has the following combination characters: the dorsum of the body is covered with sparse erect brachyplumose setae, but the integument is not obscured, the ventral margin of the mandible has a deep excision subtended by a large rounded tooth ( Fig. 38 ), the head below eyes is parallel ( Fig. 64 ), the head is evenly rounded in lateral view ( Fig. 64 ), the first metasomal segment is petiolate with the second segment ( Fig. 65 ) and the pygidium is striate to granulate.

Description of male. Coloration and setal pattern. Stramineous, legs and antennae paler than body. Sparse brachyplumose hyaline setae present throughout; white plumose setae present on metasomal fringes.

Head. Rounded posteriorly. Mandible strongly excised ventrally with subtending tooth ( Fig. 46 ); dorsal carina delicate distally with apex oblique and attenuated. Clypeus tuberculate posteromedially. Front and vertex nitid and weakly punctate, small, sparse, indistinct punctures. Ocelli moderately large; ocellocular distance 1X lateral ocellus. Flagellomere 1 ~0.66X length of flagellomere 2.

Mesosoma. Pronotum coarsely and confluently punctate. Mesonotum nitid with moderate, separate punctures becoming contiguous on anterior third. Scutellum confluently punctate. Propodeum reticulate. Wings with marginal cell on costa 0.6X length of stigma.

Metasoma. First segment petiolate with second; weakly punctate laterally, glabrous medially. T2 nitid with moderate scattered punctures. S2 tumid anteromedially.

Genitalia with long cylindrical cuspis, sparsely setose throughout ventrally, apex with thickened longer setae that typically are curved at their apices ( Fig. 4 ). Paramere with dense setae located basally, internally directed, along internal margin ( Fig. 4 ).

Description of female. See remarks and description of the female of S. difficilis .

Holotype data: California, Imperial Co., Glamis , 5.Aug.2005, K.A. Williams ( EMUS).

Paratype data: California, Imperial Co., Glamis , 5 mi SW, 115°09'W 32°57'N, 71 males, 23.Jul.2005, K.A. Williams.

Material examined. California, Imperial Co. : Algodones Dunes: Roadrunner Campgrnd, 10.7 km SW Glamis, 2 males, 31.May–3.Jun.2008, Museum Survey Team ( UCDC). Brawley, 2 males, 22.Jun.2004, K.A. Williams ( KAWC); Glamis, 1 male, 20.Nov.1967, M.S. Wasbauer ( CDFA); Glamis. 3 mi. NM, 7 males, 15–16.Sep.1972, M.S. Wasbauer and A. Hardy ( CDFA), 1 male, 10.Sep.1974, M.S. Wasbauer and R. McMaster ( CDFA); Glamis, 6 mi. W, 12.4 mi. ESE Holtville, 32°44’34”N, 115°11’53”W, 1 male, 13.Apr.1979 ( CDFA).

DNA voucher specimen data. California, Imperial Co., Algodones Dunes , 5 mi SW Glamis, 2 females, 5.Aug.2005, K.A. Williams, JP794; 1 male, 23.Jul.2005, K.A. Williams, JP274 ( EMUS).

Distribution. The Algodones Dunes and surrounding area.

Etymology. This species was named in honor of Django Reinhardt. Treat as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. This species seems to be limited to the Algodones Sand Dunes and surrounding areas. This species is very similar to S. difficilis (see remarks for S. difficilis ), and it may be that there are specimens lurking in collections that are misidentified as S. difficilis . Despite the seeming morphological similarity between S. django and S. difficilis , they are molecularly and morphologically distinct. The ITS1 genetic distance is 3.3% ( Table 4) and the ITS2 genetic distance is 7.6% ( Table 5).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Lateral view of genitalia. 1. Acanthophotopsis falciformis; 2. Sphaeropthalma becki; 3. S. difficilis; 4. S.

FIGURES 31 – 46. Lateral view of mandible, 31 – 40 female and 41 – 46 male. 31. O. arcuata; 32. O. inconspicua; 33. O. melicausa; 34. O. obscura; 35. O. parva; 36. O. villosa; 37. Sphaeropthalma blakeii; 38. S. difficilis; 39. S. militaris; 40. S. triangularis; 41. O. ambigua; 42. O. arcuata; 43. O. aufidia; 44. O. melicausa; 45. O. becki; and 46. O. django.

FIGURES 56 – 70. Odontophotopsis arcuata, female: 56. head, anterior view; 57. lateral view; 58. dorsal view of mesosoma, anterior left; and 59. pygidium. Sphaeropthalma blakeii, female: 60. head, anterior view; 61. lateral view; 62. dorsal view of mesosoma, anterior left; and 63. pygidium. S. difficilis, female: 64. head, anterior view; 64. lateral view; and 66. dorsal view of mesosoma, anterior left. S. ecarinata, female: 67. head, anterior view; 68. head, lateral view; 69. lateral view; and 70. dorsal view of mesosoma, anterior left.