Trogaspidia wilsoni Williams, 2019

Williams, Kevin A., Lelej, Arkady S., Okayasu, Juriya, Borkent, Christopher J., Malee, Rufeah, Thoawan, Kodeeyah & Thaochan, Narit, 2019, The female velvet ants (aka modkhong) of southern Thailand (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), with a key to the genera of southeast Asia, Zootaxa 4602 (1), pp. 1-69 : 43-44

30b. Trogaspidia wilsoni Williams , sp. nov.

( Figs 26 , 161–164 )

Diagnosis. FEMALE. This species can be recognized by the following characters: the femora are orange basally, the scutellar scale is posteriorly rounded and ~3–5 punctures wide, the T1 fringe is predominantly pale golden, the felt line on T2 is simple, the T2 apex lacks a pale setal band, T3 and T4 each have a medially interrupted band of pale golden setae, and the pygidium is broad with striae basally and smooth in the apical quarter. Body length 5–9 mm. MALE. To be described in an upcoming paper.

Description. FEMALE. Body length 9.0 mm. Coloration. Head black, except antennal tubercle, mandible, and scape partly dark red-brown. Mesosoma orange-brown, legs black, except femora mostly orange-brown. Metasoma black, except T1 basally and S1 dark red-brown. Body setae generally sparse and silvery, except frons and mesosomal dorsum with sub-erect golden and blackish setae; T1 apex, T2 disc, and T5 setae dense black; and vertex, T2 disc lateral spots, T3 entirely, T4 interrupted band, and T6 basal tuft with dense pale golden setae; T2 lateral spot diameter 1.3 × distance between spots; T3 band entire, and T4 band broadly interrupted medially with black setae. Head. Width behind eye subequal mesosoma width. Frons, vertex, and gena punctures coarse confluent. Mandible apex narrow bidentate. Clypeus with transverse emarginate carina, lateral angles sharp; basomedial portion with robust tubercle. Antennal scrobe with arcuate dorsal carina and obscure lateral carina. Antennal tubercle with rugae. Genal carina distinct posteriorly, apparently obliterated anteriorly; hypostomal carina with tooth. F1 3.0 × pedicel length, F2 1.8 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Length 1.2 × width. Dorsum of mesosoma with coarse confluent punctures; wavy carina separating dorsal and lateral faces of mesonotum. Side of mesosoma with dense micropunctures and short setae. Mesopleural lamella a wavy carina. Humeral carina distinct, strongest at dorsal angle. Ratio of width of humeral angle, anterior spiracle, narrowest point of mesonotum, propodeal spiracle, and midpoint of propodeum 60:65:58:61:68. Scutellar scale rounded posteriorly, ~2 punctures wide. Posterior propodeal face reticulate with many interspaces obliterated leaving apparent striae and scattered tubercles. Lateral and posterior propodeal faces separated by row of short teeth. Metatibio-tarsal ratio 65:29:16:13:12:12. Metasoma. T1 anterior face with separated punctures, posterior with confluent punctures. T2 disc with obscure sub-confluent pits, interspaces micropunctate and setose; with obscure transverse arcuate depression in apical half. T3–5 and S3–5 with small dense punctures. S1 with longitudinal lamella, notched subanteriorly, highest posteriorly. S2 with separated punctures, interspaces smooth. T2 felt line forming a deep ovate pit, 0.3 × T2 total length. T6 with sub-ovate pygidium, widest sub-apically with lateral carina obliterated in posterior third; striate with apex smooth. S6 posterior margin weak bidentate.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, THAILAND, Krabi, 12.4 km NNW Krabi, Oil palm farm, 8.193 o N 98.876 o E, 50 m, 3.IV.2017, MKT (CSCA). Paratypes (43 ♀; males listed below are not paratypes), LAOS, Attapeu Province, Thong Kai Ohk, Ban Kachung environs, 1200–1450 m, 15 o 0 1'N 107 o 26'E, 10–24.VI.2011, M. Brancucci, M. Geiser, D. Hauck, Z. Kraus, A. Phantala, and E. Vongphachan (4♀ RHMB) ; MALAYSIA, Selangor: Klang Gates (up stream), 2.IV.1963, M.A. Lieftinck (1♀ 1♂, in copula, RMNH) ; Ulu Gombok , 200 m, 16–17.III.1963, M.A. Lieftinck (1♀ RMNH) ; THAILAND: Chiang Mai: Doi Suthep , 1–2.V.1989, W.J. Pulawski (1♀ CASC) ; Tambon Su Thep , Chiang Mai University, Faculty of Agriculture , 18°47'36.1"N 98°57'35.4"E, 27.XII.2016, R. Mizuno (1♀ EUM) ; Krabi: 12.4 km NNW Krabi, Oil palm farm, 8.193 o N 98.876 o E, 50 m: 29.III.2017, MKT (1♀ CSCA) ; 1.IV.2017, MKT (1♀ CSCA) ; 3.IV.2017, MKT (3♀ 5♂ CSCA EMUS) ; Nakhon Si Thammarat, 4.4 km N Hin Tok, Mountainside rubber farm, 8.303 o N 99.849 o E, 8.IV.2017, MKT (1♀ 1♂ CSCA) ; Phatthalung, 2.4 km S Ban Na, Farm , 7.543 o N 99.883 o E, 50 m: 5.IV.2017, MKT (1♀ CSCA) ; 6.IV.2017, MKT (3♀ 1♂ CSCA) ; Surat Thani, Khlong Sok: Khao Sok Jungle Huts , 8.909 o N 99.526 o E, 70 m: 14.V.2018, MKT (4♀ CSCA) ; 25–26.V.2018, MKT (10♀ CSCA MIUP PSUC QSBG); Our Jungle House resort, 8.908 o N 99.534 o E, 75 m, 25–27.V.2018, MKT (11♀ 2♂ CSCA EMUS) . Other material (3 ♀) . THAILAND, Kanchanaburi, Thong Pha Phum, Vimarndin farm stay, 14.655 o N 98.521 o E, 200 m, 17–20.V.2018, MKT (3♀ CSCA) .

Distribution. Malaysia (Selangor), Thailand (Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Surat Thani).

Etymology. KAW is happy to name this species in honor of Joseph S. Wilson, fellow mutillid researcher and colleague since we started graduate school together in 2005.

Remarks. This is a common species that is somewhat easily confused with T. pagdeni . A mating pair from Malaysia was examined (RMNH, UCRC) and males and females were collected in the same localities on the 2017 and 2018 expeditions. The male will be described in an upcoming treatment of Thai males with various sex associations. The females from Kanchanaburi have the humeral carina reduced; they were not treated as paratypes because future studies could reveal that they belong to a distinct species.

Figures

FIGURES 1–28. Mutillidae, dorsal habitus of females. Scale bars represent actual specimen length.

FIGURES 155–164. Mutillinae: Trogaspidiini females V. 155–157. Trogaspidia fuscipennis; 158–160. T. pagdeni. 161–164. T. wilsoni, sp. nov.. 155, 158, 161. Habitus, dorsal view; 156, 159, 162. Habitus, lateral view; 163. Face view; 157, 160, 164. T6.