Smicromyrme lochius Mickel, 1937

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 : 27

15a. Smicromyrme lochius Mickel, 1937

( Figs 14 , 101–103 )

Smicromyrme lochia Mickel 1937: 452 , ♀; Lelej, 2005: 62, ♀

Diagnosis. FEMALE. This species has the head and metasoma black, the mesosoma and legs orange-brown, the mandible apparently unidentate, the scutellar scale distinct and surrounded by scattered tubercles, a single basomedial spot the T2 disc, T2 apically and T3 entirely each with a dense white setal band, and the pygidium elongate trapezoidal with striae in the basal half. Body length 5.5–8.5 mm. MALE. Unknown.

Material examined (2 ♀). THAILAND: Satun, 30 km NE Satun, Thaleban N.P., 200 m, 6 o 41'N 100 o 11'E, 26.VII.1986, R. Hensen (1♀ RMNH) ; Trang, Na Yong District, Peninsular Botanic Garden (Khao Chong), 26.III.2005, T. Kurihara (1♀ EUM) .

Distribution. Malaysia (Pulau Pinang, Sarawak) and Thailand * (Satun, Trang).

Remarks. The pygidium of this species is elongate trapezoidal, with the basal margins converging basally, which is a primary diagnostic feature of Physetopoda . This species has a smaller scutellar scale and longer mesosoma than typical Palaearctic Physetopoda . No males of that genus, however, have been found in Malaysia. Therefore, we maintain the status of this taxon within Smicromyrme , but anticipate that this could change with additional data.

Figures

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

FIGURES 95–106. Mutillinae: Smicromyrmini females V. 95–97. Nemka conjungenda; 98–100. Smicromyrme borkenti, sp. nov.; 101–103. S. lochius; 104–106. S. helarctos, sp. nov. 95, 98, 101, 104. Habitus, dorsal view; 96, 99, 102, 105. Habitus, lateral view; 97, 100, 103, 106. T6.