Dasymutilla ionothorax 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 : 60

Dasymutilla ionothorax Manley & Pitts , new species

Holotype male, Costa Rica, Alajuela, Bijagua 20 km S. Upala, XII-13-I-9-91, F. D. Parker [ EMUS].

Diagnosis of Male (Plate C5F). This species is easily distinguished by having the integument of the mesonotum, scutellum, and tegulae ferruginous, while the remainder of the integument is black, the forewing is distinctly bicolored, and the cuspis of the genitalia is thin and almost as long as the parameres ( Plate 2B ). Also of use in identification is that sternum II has a median pit densely filled with setae, the carina of sternum I is produced into a conspicuous tooth anteriorly, the pygidium is coarsely rugose, and lacking an apical fringe of setae. Color of the setae is contrasting silver and black.

Description. Male: Length, 4–10 mm. Head. Black, with silver setae throughout; mandible tridentate; clypeus flat, triangular, coarsely punctate, jagged along anterior margin; scape conspicuously bicarinate; flagellomeres subequal in length; antennal scrobe carinate; head with coarse contiguous punctures; occipital region compressed laterally.

Mesosoma. With mesonotum, scutellum, and tegula ferruginous, remainder black; anterior margin of pronotum with slight emargination medially, anterior face of emargination glabrous; mesosoma with coarse contiguous punctures, except metapleuron glabrous; tegula glabrous; lateral process of scutellum with apical half glabrous; mesonotum with sparse black setae, remainder of mesonotum with silver setae.

Legs black, with silver setae.

Forewing distinctly bicolored, basal two-thirds transparent, apical third dusky. Hindwing completely transparent.

Metasoma. Black, with coarse contiguous punctures; pygidium coarsely rugose, lacking apical fringe of setae; sternum I with longitudinal carina produced into conspicuous blunt tooth anteriorly; sternum II with median pit densely filled with setae; apical fringes of terga I to IV silver, of V to VI black; apical fringes of sterna II to V silver.

Genitalia ( Plate 2B ). Paramere with apex dorsally curved, middle 0.3 of ventral margin densely pubescent, remainder with short sparse setae; cuspis cylindrical with sparse thick long setae at apex and ventrally, length about 0.9X free length of paramere, densely pubescent basal lobe present; digitus linear, tapering abruptly at apex, length slightly less than 0.5X free length of paramere; penial valve bidentate, teeth separate, anterior tooth larger than posterior tooth.

Female. Unknown.

Paratypes. 31♂, COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, S. Rosa Park, I-28-77, D. H. Janzen (1♂, DGMC) ; I-5-78 (1♂, DGMC) ; II-12-78 (1♂, DGMC) ; IV-5-78 (1♂, DGMC) ; S. Cañas Exp. Sta., III-8/18-88, F. D. Parker (1♂, EMUS) ; EJN 14 km S. Cañas, I-21/22-89 (1♂, EMUS) ; I-21/25-89 (1♂, EMUS) ; II-9/14-89 (2♂, EMUS) ; II- 18-89 (1♂, EMUS) ; II-16/20-89 (1♂, EMUS) ; II-28-III-8-89 (1♂, EMUS) ; III-1/5-89 (3♂, EMUS) ; III-4-89 (1♂, EMUS) ; III-7/10-89 (1♂, EMUS) ; III-13/18-89 (1♂, EMUS) ; II-5/8-90 (1♂, EMUS) ; II-15/24-90 (1♂, EMUS) ; III-15-90 (2♂, EMUS) ; III-16/18-90 (1♂, EMUS) ; XII-7/8-90 (1♂, EMUS) ; II-10-91 (1♂, DGMC) ; II-25-91 (2♂, DGMC) ; III-12-91 (1♂, DGMC) ; III-25/26-91 (1♂, DGMC) ; MEXICO, Colima, Manzanillo, VIII-1/2-65, H. E. Evans (1♂, DGMC) ; Nayarit, VIII-20-51, P. D. Hurd (1♂, CSIC) .

Distribution. Costa Rica (Alajuela, Guanacaste); Mexico (Colima, Nayarit).

Etymology. From the Greek iono “violet” and Latin “thorax,” in reference to the coloration of the mesonotum and scutellum.

Remarks. This species, known only from the male, keys easily. The integument of the mesonotum and scutellum are ferruginous, whereas the remainder of the integument is black. No other known species has this character. There is variation in the integumental coloration: the male from Nayarit, Mexico, has the complete dorsum and pleurae of the mesosoma ferruginous rather than just the mesonotum and scutellum. Otherwise, this specimen matches the remaining characters of the other specimens. We have examined approximately 150 specimens in addition to the holotype and paratypes.

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.