Odontophotopsis bellona Mickel

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 : 7-8

Odontophotopsis bellona Mickel

Odontophotopsis (Odontophotopsis) bellona Mickel, 1983 . Ann. Amer. Ent. Soc. 76: 541. Holotype data: Cortaro, Pima Co., Arizona, 2100 ft, 5 Jun 1969, J. Burger (UMSP).

Diagnosis of male. This species is differentiated by the tridentate mandible that is vertical at the apex, but the large basal tooth on the ventral margin of the mandible ( Fig. 6 ; see Fig. 17 in Mickel & Clausen 1983) and by the pygidium defined laterally by carinae and with the surface distinctly granulate sculptured. This species has a characteristic apically bifid mesosternal process (see Fig. 106 of Mickel & Clausen 1983 and Fig. 25 of Pitts et al. 2009). The genitalia are illustrated by Mickel & Clausen (1983) in Fig. 4 .

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. California, Riverside Co.: Deep Canyon, 1 male, 15–18. May.1970, 1 male, 19.May.1973, coll. Wilson, 22 males, 22–23.May.2007, 36 males, 23–24. May.2007, 1 male, 24. May.1969, 1 male, 24.Jun.1970, coll. W. McKay, 2 males, 3–7. Jul.1969, 1 male, 24–26.Jul.1969.

Distribution. Sonoran and Mojave deserts.

Remarks. This species is rare in some regions, but can be found in larger numbers elsewhere, including Deep Canyon.

This species is a member of the O. parva species-group and is the only member with large ventral teeth on the mandibles. This species could be confused with O. parva (see remarks for that species).

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.

FIGURES 13 – 24. Head, anterior view; except ventral view 17. 13. Odontophotopsis serca; 14. O. setifera; 15. Sphaeropthalma. amphion; 16. S. angulifera; 17. S. angulifera; 18. S. arota; 19. S. becki; 20. S. blakeii; 21. S. difficilis; 22. S. ferruginea; 23. S. ignacio; and 24. S. macswaini.

FIGURES 25 – 31. Head, anterior view. 25. Sphaeropthalma. megagnathos; 26. S. mendica; 27. S. pallida; 28. S. sublobata; 29. S. tetracuspis; 30. S. triangularis; and 31. S. yumaella.