Acanthophotopsis dorophora Schuster

Pitts, James P., Wilson, Joseph S., Williams, Kevin A. & Boehme, Nicole F., 2009, Velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of the Algodones sand dunes of California, USA, Zootaxa 2131, pp. 1-53 : 7

Acanthophotopsis dorophora Schuster

Acanthophotopsis dorophora Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. 37: 13. Male. Holotype data: Tucson, Arizona, 26.Aug.1935. O. Bryant (UMSP).

Diagnosis of male. The male of this species possesses a tridentate mandible, lacks a fourth mandibular tooth that projects posteriorly over the clypeus, has the posterior margin of head behind eyes elongate, has large conical mesosternal processes, has only a single spur on the mid-tibia, has the paramere of the genitalia squat (e.g., Fig. 1 ), and has the cuspis curled, but not lobed, apically.

Female. Unknown, but possibly will be mistaken as a species of Sphaeropthalma near Sphaeropthalma blakeii and S. papaga Schuster based on male morphology and similarities in ITS1 and ITS2 sequences.

Material examined. California, Imperial Co., Algodones Dunes : Cahuilla Ranger Sta. 10 km WSW Glamis, 1 male, 22.Sep–15.Nov.2008, E. Dreyfus ( UCDC).

Distribution. Southern Arizona and southern California. Presumably this species is found throughout the Sonoran Desert into Mexico.

Remarks. This genus contains five described species and one undescribed species that with be treated elsewhere. Females are unknown for this genus. This species is rarely collected on the dunes, or anywhere else in its range, but is wide-ranging and not limited to the Algodones Sand Dunes.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Lateral view of genitalia. 1. Acanthophotopsis falciformis; 2. Sphaeropthalma becki; 3. S. difficilis; 4. S.