Tobantilla drosos Williams, Brothers & Pitts

Williams, Kevin A., Brothers, Denis J. & Pitts, James P., 2011, New species of Tobantilla Casal, 1965 and a new genus and species, Gogoltilla chichikovi gen. et sp. nov., from Argentina (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Zootaxa 3064, pp. 41-68 : 50-53

Tobantilla drosos Williams, Brothers & Pitts , sp. nov.

( Figs 16 , 23–26 )

Diagnosis. MALE. The clypeus forms a flattened plate that is shallowly emarginate anteriorly (as in Fig. 36 ), while the base of T2 has a dense patch of appressed silver setae ( Fig. 16 ).

Description. MALE. Body length 5–8.5 mm. Coloration. Head, mesosoma and legs black. T1 black, remain- der of metasoma red, felt lines and apical segments infuscated. Antennae, medial portion of mandibles, and tegulae brown. Tibial spurs white. Wings weakly infuscated, veins brown. Head clothed with appressed silver setae, vertex with dense interspersed erect silver and brown setae. Mesosoma clothed with appressed silver setae, except posterior half of mesoscutum clothed with black setae. Posterior half of T2 and metasomal segments 5–6 with interspersed black and silver setae; pygidium and hypopygium clothed with black setae, remainder of metasoma clothed with silver setae. Head. Rounded posteriorly, with posterior projection behind ocelli. Head width 1.1 × pronotal width. Eye transversely ovate, in dorsal view eye diameter 2.1 × distance from posterior eye margin to posterolateral angle of head. Ocelli small; ocellocular distance 3.8 × length of lateral ocellus, interocellar distance 1.3 × lateral ocellar length. Occipital carina weak but distinct, extending ventrally almost to level of oral fossa. Punctation on front, gena and vertex obscured by dense setae. Gena ecarinate. Antennal scrobe broadly concave to eye margin, with prominent complete flangelike transverse carina above. Clypeus projecting and shallowly emarginate anteriorly, anterolateral margins carinate. Oral fossa 1.7 × length of hypostomal bridge. Scape bicarinate ventrally. Flagellomere 1 1.2 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 2.5 × pedicel length. Mandible oblique, tapering, bidentate apically, unarmed ventrally. Maxilla and labium elongate. Maxillary palp 6-segmented, third and fourth segments slightly flattened and apically expanded, other segments almost cylindrical. Labial palp 4-segmented, second and third segments slightly flattened and apically expanded, other segments almost cylindrical. Mesosoma. Epaulets lowly produced; pronotum emarginate anteromedially. Pronotal dorsal punctation coarsely contiguous but obscured by dense shaggy recumbent mesally directed setae; anterior face moderately punctate, except emarginated medial area glabrous; lateral face moderately punctate above but almost smooth ventrally. Tegula convex, almost hemispherical, glabrous except with long recumbent setae anterolaterally and posteromesally. Mesoscutum with moderately-spaced coarse punctures, punctation obscured on anterior fifth by dense shaggy recumbent posteriorly directed setae; micropunctate inside reticulations; notaulus weakly produced, extending to anterior margin; parapsis indistinguishable; posterolateral corner forming a coarsely punctate raised lobe. Scutellum slightly convex, with coarse punctures. Scutellum slightly convex, contiguously punctate. Axilla produced posteriorly, contiguously punctate on dorsal anterior half, glabrous on dorsal posterior half, posterior face truncate with posteriorly directed setae; anterolateral axillar margin contiguous with posterior mesonotal margin. Metanotum surface obscured by dense shaggy mesally facing recumbent setae. Mesopleural punctation obscured by dense setae. Metapleuron glabrous with small scattered punctures. Propodeum strongly convex, broadly reticulate, except smooth and shining adjacent to metapleuron, reticulations obscured by dense setae on anterior half of dorsal face. Wings. Forewing with moderate ovate sclerotized pterostigma; marginal cell moderate and truncate apically; three submarginal cells. Legs. Mid- and hind tibiae each with a few strong spines dorsally, distinct apical secretory pore on inner surface near base of inner spur; spurs densely clothed with microsetae. Metasoma. T1 petiolate, 0.45 × width of T2, with moderately spaced coarse punctures. T2 with moderately spaced coarse punctures; apex obscured by dense fringe of mesally directed setae; felt line 0.4 × lateral length of T2. T3–6 densely punctate. Pygidium margined laterally and posteriorly by a sharp carina; surface convex, glabrous except apex moderately punctate and setose. S1 with obscure longitudinal carina, having scattered large punctures. S2 moderately punctate, evenly convex. S3–6 moderately punctate. Hypopygium moderately punctate, posteromedial margin with sharp tooth. Genitalia ( Figs 23–26 ). Free length of paramere dorsally curved apically, with ventral brush of long dense setae basally, remainder having scattered short sparse setae; apex of ventral face visible from above. Cuspis deeply divided near base, cylindrical, ~0.3 × free-length of paramere, posterior half having long dense posteriorly directed setae; densely setose basal lobe present, lobe roughly 0.6 × cuspis length. Digitus laterally compressed, constricted at apex, asetose, ~0.35 × free-length of paramere. Parapenial lobe well developed, apically sharply angulate. Penis valve asetose, ventral margin bidentate apically, teeth separated.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype, 3, ARGENTINA: Catamarca, Coneta, 16 km S Catamarca, 28°34.07'S 65°52.74'W, 554m, 25.X–12.XI.2003, coll. M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker ( EMUS). Paratypes, ARGENTINA: 93, same data as holotype (1 DJBC, 5 EMUS, 3 MACN); Catamarca, San Pablo, 28°41.81'S 66°02.55'W, 712m, malaise trap, 53, 24.X–12.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (1 DJBC, 2 EMUS, 2 AMNH); Salta, 8 km N La Viña, 25°23.77'S 65°32.67'W, 1171m, 13, 26.X–13.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker ( EMUS); 9 km N Cafayate, 26°00.46'S 65°58.44'W, 1684m, 13, 26.X–13.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker ( EMUS); Tucumán, 8 km S Tichucho, 13, 24.III.1990, J.G. Rozen & A. Roig ( AMNH); 11 km W Las Cajas, 23, 1–16.XI.1967, C.C. Porter (identified as? Tobantilla sp. by DJB in 1989, MCZC).

Distribution. Argentina (Catamarca, Salta and Tucumán).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. From the Greek drosos “dew” metaphorically reflecting the probability that this species will be associated with T. charrasca or T. montonera ; noun in apposition.

Remarks. This species appears to be restricted to the northwestern Argentinean provinces, but shares an overlapping range with T. ephemeros .

There is significant variation in the integumental coloration of T2, ranging from bright orange to dark red. There is also variation in the size of the setal patch on T2; in some specimens it covers the entire basal half of T2, while others have only the anteromedial third covered with appressed setae. T1 can vary from being entirely red to being black with only the apical margin red.

Figures

FIGURES 15 – 18. Tobantilla species, males, habitus, lateral view. 15. T. andrikos sp. nov., holotype; 16. T. drosos sp. nov., holotype; 17. T. ephemeros sp. nov.; 18. T. xouthos sp. nov., holotype.

FIGURES 19 – 38. Tobantilla species. 19 – 34. Male genitalia: dorsal view (left), ventral view (middle), lateral view of penis valve (above), and lateral view with penis valve removed (right). 19 – 22. T. andrikos sp. nov.; 23 – 26. T. drosos sp. nov.; 27 – 30. T. ephemeros sp. nov.; 31 – 34. T. xouthos sp. nov. 35 – 36. Male clypeus. 28. T. andrikos sp. nov.; 29. T. ephemeros sp. nov. 37, 38. Female pygidium (T 6). 37. T. frigidula (Cresson); 38. T. kolasma sp. nov.