Odontophotopsis mamata Schuster

Pitts, James P., Wilson, Joseph S., Williams, Kevin A. & Boehme, Nicole F., 2010, Nocturnal velvet ant males (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Deep Canyon, California including four new species and a fifth new species from Owens Lake Valley, California, Zootaxa 2553, pp. 1-34 : 10

Odontophotopsis mamata Schuster

Odontophotopsis (Periphotopsis) mamata Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 60. Male. Holotype data: Arizona, Ehrenberg, 12.Jun.1935, F.H. Parker (UMSP).

Diagnosis of male. This species can be easily recognized by the distinct mesosternal processes, which are made up of large glabrous longitudinal swellings located on either side of the midline. It also has typical O. parva species-group mandibles ( Fig. 10 ).

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. California, Riverside Co.: Deep Canyon: 5 males, 22–23. May.2007, 20 males, 23– 24. May.2007, 1 male, 25.May.1953, coll. R. Flock, 2 males, 6–13. Jun.1969, 1 male, 13–15. Aug.1969, 1 male, 26–28. Aug.1969, 1 male, 26.Sep–6.Oct.1963; Palm Springs: 2 males, 27.May–6.Jun.1932, coll. T. Zachokke, 1 male, 10–12.Jul.1969.

Distribution. Widespread throughout the Mojave and western Sonoran Deserts.

Remarks. Schuster (1958) placed this species into its own subgenus Periphotopsis due to its unique mesosternal processes. Pitts (2007) recognized that this species shares many characteristics with the O. parva species-group, and, as such, synonymized Periphotopsis with Odontophotopsis and moved O. mamata to the O. parva species-group. This placement is confirmed in Pitts et al. (2010).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Head, anterior view. 1. Acanthophotopsis falciformis; 2. Acrophotopsis campylognatha; 3. Odontophotopsis acmaea; 4. O. armata; 5. O. aufidia; 6. O. bellona; 7. O. biramosa; 8. O. clypeata; 9. O. inconspicua; 10. O. mamata; 11. O. melicausa; and 12. O. quadrispinosa.