Odontophotopsis parva Schuster, 1958

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 : 21-22

Odontophotopsis parva Schuster, 1958

Odontophotopsis (Odontophotopsis) parva Schuster, 1958: 55 , 3. Holotype: Arizona, Arlington (UMSP).

Diagnosis. MALE. This species possesses the following combination of characters: the mandible is excised ventrally forming an angle, but does not taper towards the apex (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 35), the mesosternum has only one pair of large distinct spines that have a posterior face that is longitudinally sulcate, the metasternum is bidentate, and the pygidium is granulate and is defined laterally by carinae. The genitalia are illustrated by Pitts et al. (2009: Figs 16, 17). FEMALE. The female of this species can be recognized by the ventral margin of the mandible having a distinct angulation (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 35), flagellomere 1 being only slightly longer than flagellomere 2, the lateral margins of the posterior half of the mesosoma being parallel in dorsal view, the first segment of the metasoma being sessile with the second, the second metasomal segment being of normal length, ~1 × as long as anterior width or just slightly greater, the pygidium being longitudinally striate, and by the dense appressed setae present on the dorsum that obscure the integumental sculpture and are distinctly plumose at the base of the setal shaft becoming simple apically.

Material examined. Type material. Holotype of O. parva : Arizona, Arlington, 17 June 1919, A. Wetmore ( UMSP). Other material. Nevada, Nye Co., AMNWR: Sand dune site 1: 2 ♀, PT, 26.VI.2008, DAT, NFB & JPP; Sand dune site 4: 1 ♀, PT, 5–6.VIII.2008, NFB; Copeland site: 1 ♀, PT, 5–6.VIII.2008, NFB, 2 ♀, PT, 17–18.X.2008, NFB & SDB; Mesquite site 1: 1 ♀, PT, 5–6.VIII.2008, 1 ♀, PT, 2.IX.2008, NFB, 2 ♀, PT, 17–18.X.2008, NFB & SDB; Mesquite site 3: 1 ♀, PT, 17–18.X.2008, NFB & SDB.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California and Nevada).

Activity. No males were collected. Females were collected throughout the summer (late June through October 2008).

Remarks. Odontophotopsis parva were too rarely encountered to determine their habitat preference. Eleven O. parva females were collected throughout the course of this study. These could be the females of O. acmaea , O. aufidia , or O. mamata , which could account for the reason no males were collected. The specimens were collected from August through October via pitfall trapping. Odontophotopsis parva was not found at the NTS.