Odontophotopsis inconspicua ( Blake, 1886 )

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 : 18-19

Odontophotopsis inconspicua ( Blake, 1886)

Photopsis inconspicuus Blake, 1886: 272 , 3. Holotype: California (ANSP).

Mutilla infelix Dalla Torre, 1897: 50 . Replacement name for Photopsis inconspicuus Blake , nec Mutilla inconspicuus Smith, 1879 .

Diagnosis. MALE. This species is recognized by having the following combination of characters: the mandible is excised ventrally forming a slight tooth that is dilated towards the apex (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 32), the mesosternum only has one pair of large distinct spines that are flattened to slightly concave on the posterior side, the metasternum is tridentate, the second sternum of the metasoma lacks a felt line, and the pygidium is granulate and is defined laterally by carinae. Genitalia are illustrated by Pitts et al. (2009: Fig. 12). FEMALE. The female of this species can be diagnosed by dense appressed setae present on the dorsum that obscures the integumental sculpture and are distinctly plumose at the base of the setal shaft becoming simple apically. Also the ventral margin of the mandible has a distinct angulation, flagellomere 1 is much longer than flagellomere 2, the mesosoma is hexagonal in dorsal view, the first segment of the metasoma is sessile with the second, and the second metasomal segment is of normal length being ~1 × as long as anterior width or just slightly greater.

Material examined. Type material. Holotype of Ph. inconspicuus : California ( ANSP) . Other material. Nevada, Nye Co., AMNWR: Non-dune site 1: 3 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, Collectors, 6 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, Collectors, 3 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 32 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 16–18.X.2009, NFB ; Non-dune site 2: 1 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, 7 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 9 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 56 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 17 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 23 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 14 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 39 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, 3 ♂, LT, 16–18.X.2009, NFB ; Non-dune site 3: 1 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 7 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 8 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 7 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 18 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 2–4.X.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 16–17.X.2009, NFB ; Non-dune site 4: 2 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 13 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 27 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 7 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 22 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 16–17.X.2009, NFB ; Sand dune site 1: 21 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 9 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 4 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 17 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB ; Sand dune site 2: 1 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 21 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 8 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 15 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB ; Sand dune site 3: 14 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 5 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB ; Sand dune site 4: 2 ♂, LT, 9.VI.2008, NFB & DAT, 1 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & DAT, 4 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 32 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 3 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 34 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB ; Sand dune site 5: 1 ♂, LT, 24.VI.2008, NFB, DAT & JPP, 21 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 3 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 22–23.IX.2009, NFB ; Non-dune site 5: 1 ♂, LT, 13.VI.2008, NFB & DAT, 3 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB ; Copeland site: 1 ♂, LT, 13.VI.2008, NFB & DAT, 1 ♂, LT, 17–18.X.2008, NFB & SDB.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California and Nevada).

Activity. Males were active from late-spring through mid-autumn (June through mid-October). No females were collected.

Remarks. Odontophotopsis inconspicua were uniformly distributed across sand dune and non-sand dune habitats (U=13, p>0.2). Five hundred sixty-seven O. inconspicua males were collected from May through October at light traps. Twenty-seven O. bellona males were found at the NTS ( Ferguson 1967). Pitts et al. (2009) recently associated the sexes using distributional and morphological data. Further taxonomic description of this species can also be found in Pitts et al. (2009).