Sphaeropthalma amphion ( Fox, 1899 )

Wilson, Joseph S., 2017, Nocturnal Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California with the description of three new species, Zootaxa 4319 (2), pp. 329-367 : 350-351

Sphaeropthalma amphion ( Fox, 1899)

Mutilla amphion Fox, 1899 . Amer. Ent. Soc., Trans. 25: 263. ♂. Syntype data: Nevada ( ANSP). Photopsis abstrusa Baker, 1905 . Invertebrata Pacifica 1: 113. ♂ . Syntype data: California ( CUIC). Synonymized by Ferguson (1967).

Photopsis nudata Baker, 1905 . Invertebrata Pacifica 1: 114. ♂. Holotype data: Claremont, California (CUIC). Synonymized by Ferguson (1967).

Diagnosis of male. The male of this species has the mandible with a somewhat tapered apex and with the dorsal carina becoming obsolete distally such that the distal portion of mandible is oblique (see Pitts et al. 2010a: Fig. 15 ). Also, the marginal cell length is short being 0.5–0.9 × length of stigma, and this species lacks a sternal felt line. In addition to the mandibular morphology, the genitalia are diagnostic. The cuspis is elongate (0.7–0.8 × free length of paramere) and is dilated towards its apex and has the ventral portion, especially at the apex and inner margin, clothed with long dense setae that have their apices plumose. Genitalia are illustrated by Pitts et al. (2010a: Fig. 52).

Diagnosis of female. The female of this species has the dorsum lacking dense appressed setae obscuring the integumental sculpture, the first segment of the metasoma is sessile with the second segment, the antennal scrobes have dorsal carinae, the mandible has a slightly developed ventral basal tooth and lacks a dorsal tooth at the termination of the dorsal carina, flagellomere 1 is almost 2 × as long as the pedicel, the legs are concolorous with mesosoma, or at most slightly darker or lighter than mesosoma, the propodeum length in lateral view is subequal to 0.5 × maximum height, the metasomal segments have sparse to dense plumose pubescence apically, the apical metasomal segments are concolorous with the basal segments, T2 is coarsely confluently punctate laterally and on basal ~0.66, apical ~0.33 with sparse indiscernible punctures, the pygidium undefined laterally by carinae, and plumose setae are present on the metasomal fringes.

Material examined. Mutilla amphion Syntype data : Nevada ( ANSP). Photopsis abstrusa Syntype data : California ( CUIC). Photopsis nudata Holotype data: Claremont , California ( CUIC) . JTNP: 18–21.Jul.2012: 2 ♂ N9; 1 ♂ N5. 26–28.Aug.2012: 1 ♂ N9; 2 ♂ N7; 2 ♂ N5; 1 ♂ N3; 2 ♂ N1; 14 ♂ T; 24 ♂ S1; 13 ♂ S3; 2 ♂ S5; 1 ♂ S7; 2 ♂ S11; 6 ♂ S13; 2 ♂ S18. 22–24.Sep.2012: 1 ♂ N7; 1 ♂ N5; 2 ♂ N1; 2 ♂ T; 9 ♂ S1; 1 ♂ S3; 2 ♂ S7; 3 ♂ S9; 3 ♂ S13; 7 ♂ S18. 26–28.Oct.2012: 1 ♂ N1; 1 ♂ S1.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, Nevada, Baja California, Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah).

Activity. This species is seemingly active later in the season at JTNP.

Remarks. This species is widespread throughout much of the western United States (e.g. Pitts et al. 2004; Pitts et al. 2010a) and seems more abundant at JTNP ( Table 2 & 3) than further north in the Mojave Desert (e.g. Ferguson 1967; Wilson et al. 2010; Boehme et al. 2012). This species is in the S. uro species-group ( Pitts & Sadler 2015). Host data and a more detailed treatment of the taxonomy for this species are presented in Pitts et al. (2004).

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 18. Odontophotopsis dalyi, sp. nov., genitalia, 13. ventral view, 14. dorsal view; Odontophotopsis odontoloxia, sp. nov., genitalia, 15. ventral view, 16. dorsal view; and Photomorphus schoenwerthi, sp. nov., genitalia, 17. ventral view, 18. dorsal view.