Odontophotopsis quadrispinosa 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 : 29-30

Odontophotopsis quadrispinosa Schuster

Odontophotopsis quadrispinosa Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. 37: 51. Male. Neotype data: Palm Springs, California, 1 May 1933, at light, Theo. Zschokke (UMSP).

Diagnosis of male. The male of this species can be recognized by having the marginal cell much shorter than the stigma as measured along the costal vein, and by having two pairs of mesosternal processes forming a square pattern with the anterior pair much more obvious than the posterior pair. Also, the mandibles are deeply emarginate along the ventral margin, but the mandible slightly narrows towards the apex. The genitalia are illustrated in Figs. 18 and 19 .

Female. Unknown, but is likely the unassociated female described below.

Material examined. California, Imperial Co. : Algodones Dunes: Cahuilla Ranger Sta., 10 km WSW Glamis, 1 male, 22.Sep–15.Nov.2008, E. Dreyfus ( UCDC); Wash Rd., 6.6 km SE Hwy 78, Glamis, 1 male, 7–10.Jul.2008, R. Kimsey and T. Zavortink ( UCDC); Glamis, 8 mi. W, 1 male, 21.Jun.2004, K.A. Williams ( KAWC); S. Ruthven, 4 males, 30.Apr.2001, D.C. Hawks and D. Yanega ( UCRC).

Distribution. Sonoran and Mojave deserts.

Remarks. This species is rare throughout its range and is not endemic to the dunes. The mesosternal processes are weak and sometimes difficult to observe.

The holotype from Baja California ( Ferguson, 1967) is apparently lost, but a paratype is available at UMSP. We designate this paratype as a neotype to aid future taxonomists with this difficult group of wasps. This is especially important, because Ferguson (1967) believed that the specimens described by Schuster (1958) were abnormal in having small wing cells, similar to S. difficilis . The specimens Ferguson collected and called O. quadrispinosa had similar genitalia to that described by Schuster, but the wing venation slightly differs. In both cases the marginal cell is shorter than the stigma. It is likely that after more specimens are collected, intermediate forms will be found unquestionably showing that these two forms represent the same species with variable, size-dependant, wing venation.

Odontophotopsis quadrispinosa is quite similar to S. difficilis and in general can be confused for this species. Odontophotopsis quadrispinosa has two pairs of small tubercles on each side of the mesosternum. The tubercles are roughly four times farther apart than they are long and are situated in a square-shaped pattern. Sphaeropthalma difficilis lacks mesosternal processes. Also, although the genitalia of these two species are quite similar in shape, especially the shape of the cuspis, O. quadrispinosa lacks the slight swelling and downward directed tuft of long setae situated at the apex of the cuspis that S. difficilis possesses. It is likely that these two species, along with Photomorphus californica Schuster , will be found closely related in future molecular analyses given their morphological similarities.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 22. Dorsal view of genitalia, except Figs. 15, 17, 19, and 21 lateral view of cuspis. 7. Odontophotopsis ambigua; 8. O. arcuata; 9. O. aufidia; 10. O. biramosa; 11. O. clypeata; 12. O. inconspicua; 13. O. melicausa; 14 and 15. O. obscura; 16 and 17. O. parva; 18 and 19. O. quadrispinosa; 20 and 21 O. sonora; and 22. O. villosa.