Dasymutilla pseudopappus ( Cockerell, 1895 )

Boehme, Nicole F., Tanner, David A., Williams, Kevin A. & Pitts, James P., 2012, Faunal study of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) and their activity patterns and habitat preference at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nye County, Nevada, USA, Zootaxa 3587, pp. 1-45 : 11

Dasymutilla pseudopappus ( Cockerell, 1895)

Sphaerophthalma [sic!] gloriosa var. pseudopappus Cockerell, 1895: 6 ,

♀. Lectotype (designated here): New Mexico, Las Cruces (NMNH).

Diagnosis. FEMALE. The females are clothed entirely with white setae, have the mesosoma longer than broad, lack or have a weak transverse carina anterior to the scutellar scale, and have raised, separated, longitudinally parallel striae on the basal half of the pygidium. MALE. Unknown.

Material examined. Type material. Lectotype of S. gloriosa var. pseudopappus : New Mexico, Las Cruces ( NMNH) . Other material. Nevada, Nye Co., AMNWR: Non-dune site 3: 1 ♀, hand collected, 3.X.2009, NFB ; Sand dune site 1: 3 ♀, PT, 10.VI.2009, NFB & DAT; Sand dune site 2: 1 ♀, hand collected, 24.VI.2009, NFB ; Sand dune site 4: 1 ♀, PT, 10.VI.2009, NFB & DAT ; Sand dune site 5: 1 ♀, MT, 26.VI.2008, NFB, DAT & JPP , 1 ♀, net collected, 28.V.2009, NFB .

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas), Mexico (Nayarit). Not found in Baja California, Mexico.

Activity. Females were found in late spring into early summer (June 0 8, late May through early June 2009).

Remarks. Dasymutilla pseudopappus were too rarely encountered to determine their habitat preference. Eight D. pseudopappus females were collected from May to October via net collecting, malaise traps and pitfall traps. Dasymutilla pseudopappus was not found at the NTS, but this is likely due to the difficulty in separating D. pseudopappus from D. gloriosa . We were unable to study these specimens.

For this study we have designated a lectotype from the available syntypes. We selected the lectotype from the only specimen available. The label data are as follows [Las Cruces, June 18, Cockerell] [Collection of CF Baker].