Traumatomutilla André, 1901

Bartholomay, Pedro R., Williams, Kevin A., Cambra, Roberto A. & Oliveira, Marcio L., 2021, Revision of the Traumatomutilla gemella species-group (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae) with the description of its hitherto unknown males, Zoosystema 43 (1), pp. 1-28 : 3

Genus Traumatomutilla André, 1901

Traumatomutilla gemella species-group

DIAGNOSIS. — Females. Females of this species-group can be distinguished by a single autapomorphy: the pygidial plate with projected flange-like lateral carina restricted to apical fourth. The following combination of characters is unique to the T. gemella group females, though some characters may occur in other groups as well: body generally slender, elongate; head unarmed posterolaterally; clypeus shallowly but conspicuously bilobate on apical/ventral margin, longitudinally elevated medially; vertex and/or front frequently with medial longitudinal carina; pronotal collar with vestigial transverse rugosities anteriorly; anterior face of pronotum short, shorter than or as long as pronotal collar; lateral face of pronotum with subacute tubercle anteroventral in relation to pronotal spiracle; pronotal and propodeal spiracles almost flat against lateral margin of mesosoma; mesosoma almost straight laterally, at most slightly divergent anterad, not constricted anterior to propodeal spiracle; dorsal face of propodeum much longer than posterior face; scutellar scale and anterolateral carinae absent; scabrous intervals absent on scutellar area; and apex of middle and hind femora rounded.

Males (hitherto unknown). The males can be distinguished by a unique genitalic autapomorphy: the cuspis is at most 0.6 × the length of the paramere, abruptly upcurved at midlength, with long twisted setae along the ventral surface of the apical half. The following combination of characters is unique to the T. gemella group males, though some characters may occur in other groups as well: integument black to reddish-black with contrasting black and silvery-white to silvery-golden setae patterns varying in density; head transversely subrectangular in dorsal view; parapsis and notaulus vestigial, restricted to posterior margin of mesoscutum; axilla pronounced as twisted oblique and acute projection; scutellum gibbose, without posterior transverse carina, frequently with weak medial longitudinal carina anteriorly; mesopleuron simply swollen on dorsal half, without any projections or tubercles; meso- and metafemora rounded apically; S2 without setae-filled pit; pygidial plate strongly concave apically, apical margin strongly deflected upward; hypopygium rectangular, longer than broad, latero-apical corners angulate and slightly projected.

INCLUDED TAXA. — Traumatomutilla gemella ( André, 1906) ♀, ♂; Traumatomutilla angustata ( André, 1906) ♀; Traumatomutilla andrei ( Cresson, 1902) ♀; Traumatomutilla chuza Casal, 1969 ♀, ♂; Traumatomutilla diophthalma ( Klug, 1821) ♀, ♂; and Traumatomutilla peismatara Bartholomay & Cambra n. sp. ♀, ♂.

DISTRIBUTION. — Panama and South America (except Chile).

REMARKS

At first glance, females of the T. gemella species-group are similar to those of the Dasymutilla paradoxa ( Gerstaecker, 1874) species-group, which was recently revised by Luz et al. (2016). They differ in the presence of flange-like projections apicolaterally on the pygidial plate, absent in the D. paradoxa species-group, and the sub-petiolate T1 shape which is globose, subcylindrical in the D. paradoxa species-group. Additionally, females of the T. gemella species-group have only one pair of integumental spots on T2 while those of the D. paradoxa species-group have two pairs. Males of the T. gemella species-group can be easily separated by their axillae, which are produced posteriorly as short acute projections and the all black integument of T2; this contrasts with the axillar projections connected with the lateral margins of the mesoscutellum and T2 predominantly yellowish observed in males of the D. paradoxa species-group. Among the Traumatomutilla species-groups, there are no females that can be easily confused with those of the T. gemella species-group. There are males of the T. indica group that, as with the males of the T. gemella group, have the axillar projections acute and the mesopleuron unarmed. These, however, can be readily recognized by having a setae-filled pit on S2 and/or a relatively straight cuspis that lacks long sinuous setae.