Dasymutilla buenavista Manley & Pitts, 2007

MANLEY, DONALD G. & PITTS, JAMES P., 2007, Tropical and Subtropical Velvet Ants of the Genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with Descriptions of 45 New Species, Zootaxa 1487 (1), pp. 1-128 : 35

Dasymutilla buenavista Manley & Pitts , new species

Holotype female, Mexico, Campeche, Buena Vista, VII-12-74, W. F. Chamberlain [ DGMC].

Diagnosis of Female ( Plate C2L ). This species is easily recognized by its coloration. The integument is black, except for four orange maculae on tergum II, and the setae are contrasting silver and black. Also, the head is rounded, the antennal scrobe is weakly carinate dorsally, the gena is weakly carinate, the mesosoma is slightly longer than broad and has both a scutellar scale and a transverse sinuate carina anterior to the scale, and the pygidium is longitudinally rugose.

Description. Female: Length, 8 mm. Head. Black, rounded, clothed with dense appressed silver setae; mandible acute at apex, lacking inner tooth; clypeus transversely concave, anterior margin nearly straight; scape carinate, densely clothed with silver setae; flagellomere I slightly longer than remaining segments; antennal scrobes weakly carinate; front and vertex with coarse contiguous punctures, sculpture concealed by dense silver setae; gena weakly carinate, sculpture not as coarse as front and vertex, also with silver setae; head narrower than mesosoma, ratio about 0.75:1.

Mesosoma. Black, slightly longer than broad (1.6 mm wide X 1.8 mm long); both scutellar scale and sinuate carina anterior to scale present; anterior margin slightly convex, not emarginate medially; dorsum and propodeum with coarse contiguous punctures; pronotum with sparse, erect silver setae, mesonotum with appressed silver setae, metanotum with appressed black setae, pleura and propodeum with appressed silver setae.

Legs black, with sparse silver setae.

Metasoma. Black, except four orange, slightly contiguous maculae on tergum II; metasoma with coarse contiguous punctures, including on maculae; pygidium longitudinally rugose; sternum I with blunt carina on posterior half; sternum II with coarse, contiguous punctures; tergum I with silver setae; tergum II with sparse pale setae on maculae, dense arrow-shaped pattern of black setae between maculae, apical fringe black, except narrow lateral borders silver; tergum III with black setae, except median spot and narrow lateral borders of silver; remainder of metasoma with silver setae.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Mexico (Campeche).

Etymology. In reference to the type locality of Buena Vista, Mexico; the specific-epithet is a noun in apposition.

Remarks. This species is known only from the female holotype. It keys with relative ease. It is characterized by its small size, the four coalescing yellow/orange maculae on tergum II, and the contrasting silver and black setae on the dorsum of the mesosoma that are not in a “V” -shaped pattern.

Figures

PLATE 2. Male genitalia of Dasymutilla. A. D. impressa. B. D. ionothorax. C. D. loreto. D. D. mazatlanorum. E. D. mirabilis. F. D. mirapenis. G. D. modgudi. H. D. naranjo.