Dasymutilla iztapa (Blake)

MANLEY, DONALD G. & PITTS, JAMES P., 2007, Tropical and Subtropical Velvet Ants of the Genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with Descriptions of 45 New Species, Zootaxa 1487 (1), pp. 1-128 : 61

Dasymutilla iztapa (Blake)

Mutilla (Sphaeropthalma) Iztapa Blake, 1871 . Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 3:241. Holotype male, Honduras, in the “collection of Mr. Norton ” (NPIC, location unknown).

Sphaerophthalma [ sic.] rodriguezi Cameron, 1895. Biol. Cent.-Amer., Hym. 2:371. Neotype male, Capetillo , Guatemala (Champion) (No. 15.851) [ BMNH] (examined). Synonymy: Mickel 1964:164).

Diagnosis of Male (Plate C5G). This species can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters, including coloration. The antennal scrobe of this species is carinate. It has a median pit on sternum II that is densely filled with setae, although the pit is relatively small. There is no carina on sternum II anterior to the pit. There is an apical fringe of setae on the pygidium. The integumental coloration of tergum II is quite variable, ranging from two distinct yellow maculae to having the tergum almost completely yellow. The apical terga are clothed with yellow/gold setae. The mesonotum is clothed with black setae. There are no red setae on the body.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. USA (one specimen from Cochise County, Arizona); Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Veracruz); Costa Rica; Guatemala; Honduras.

Remarks. This species is known only from the male. Broadly distributed, it exhibits considerable variation over its geographic range, especially with respect to the macula(e) on tergum II. After an extensive search, the holotype, in the “collection of Mr. Norton,” has not been found. Therefore, the holotype of Sphaerophthalma [sic.] rodriguezi is being selected as the neotype for this species. Approximately 50 specimens of this species have been examined.