Odontophotopsis aufidia Mickel, 1983 in Mickel & Clausen, 1983

Wilson, Joseph S., 2017, Nocturnal Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California with the description of three new species, Zootaxa 4319 (2), pp. 329-367 : 336

Odontophotopsis aufidia Mickel, 1983 in Mickel & Clausen, 1983

Odontophotopsis (Odontophotopsis) aufidia Mickel, 1983 , in Mickel & Clausen, 1983. Ann. Amer. Ent. Soc. 76: 541. ♂. Holotype data: California, Taft (UMSP).

Diagnosis of male. This species is recognized by having the following combination of characters: the mandible is excised ventrally forming an angle and tapering towards the apex (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 43), the mesosternum only has one pair of distinct spines, the metasternum is bidentate, and the pygidium is granulate, but is not defined laterally by carinae. Genitalia are illustrated by Pitts et al. (2009: Fig. 9 ).

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype data: California, Taft , 12 Jun 1942, W.C. Cook ( UMSP) . USA: California: San Bernardino County: Joshua Tree National Park, Black Rock Campground , 1 ♂, 23.Jul.2012, F. Soffel & R. Zamorano ( EMUS) .

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, and Nevada).

Activity. This species was rare at JTNP.

Remarks. This species is in the O. parva species-group and the taxonomy of this species is discussed in further detail in Pitts et al. (2009). Although this species is found in the Mojave Desert (e.g. Pitts et al. 2009, 2010a; Boehme et al. 2012), this species seems to be more abundant in more southern areas of the Mojave Desert ( Table 2 & 3) and Central Valley (e.g. Mickel 1983).

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 12. Photomorphus schoenwerthi, sp. nov., 9. habitus; 10. head, frontal view; 11. mesosternum; and 12. pygidium.