Dasymutilla guanacaste 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 : 56

Dasymutilla guanacaste Manley & Pitts , new species

Holotype male, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Pr. Guanacaste NP, Volcan Cacao Sta., IV-13-95, L. S. Kimsey [ UCDC].

Diagnosis of Male (Plate C5B). In this species the scutellum has long lateral arms and a short median process to form a “W” - shaped structure that is coarsely punctate, and the cuspis of the genitalia is thin and almost as long as the parameres ( Plate1I ). It can be separated from other species with these characters by having the integument entirely black except for tergum II, which is bright, conspicuously yellow. The setae are predominantly black. The mandible is tridentate, the antennal scrobe is carinate dorsally, sternum II lacks a pit filled with setae, and the pygidium has an apical fringe of setae.

Description. Male: Length, 9–13 mm. Head. Black; mandible tridentate; clypeus flat, anterior margin feebly bidentate; scape conspicuously bicarinate, clothed with dense silver setae; flagellomere I slightly shorter than remaining segments; antennal scrobe distinctly carinate; head with coarse contiguous punctures; occipital region compressed laterally; front and vertex with inconspicuous silver setae in most specimens, entirely black in some.

Mesosoma. Black; anterior margin slightly convex, not emarginate medially; scutellum with long lateral arms and short median process to form “W” -shaped structure, coarsely punctate; tegula black, with sparse punctures throughout, with sparse black setae; mesosoma with coarse contiguous punctures throughout; pronotum with setae varying from entirely silver to entirely black; mesonotum with entirely black setae.

Legs black, clothed with silver setae.

Wings fuscous.

Metasoma. Black, except tergum II conspicuously yellow; tergum I with coarse contiguous punctures; remainder of metasoma with shallow well-separated punctures; pygidium glabrous, shining, with apical fringe of black setae; sternum I with longitudinal carina almost entire length; sternum II shining, without pit filled with setae; posterolateral angle of last sternite not dentate; last sternite with shallow separated punctures, except apical margin glabrous; apical margin produced into median tooth.

Genitalia ( Plate 1I ). Paramere thin, apex dorsally curved, ventral margin of basal 0.3 densely pubescent, remainder with short sparse setae; cuspis cylindrical, with sparse thick long setae throughout, then, elongate, length about 0.8X free length of paramere, densely pubescent elongate basal lobe present; digitus linear, tapering towards apex, slightly knob-like apically, length about 0.2X free length of paramere; penial valve bidentate, teeth separate, anterior tooth larger than posterior tooth.

Female. Unknown.

Paratypes. 35♂, COSTA RICA, Cartago, Turrialba (3♂, CISC); Puntarenas, Golfito United Fruit Co., VII-1-76, M. Wasbauer (1♂, CISC); Alajuela, Bijagua, VI-90, F. D. Parker (4♂); 20 km S. Upala, XI-6-90 (1♂); V-2-91 (1♂): V-22/31-91 (2♂); VI-3-91 (1♂); VI-1/11-91 (2♂); VI-24-VII-22-91 (1♂); VII-1/15-91 (1♂); IX-11/21-91(1♂); Cartago, Turrialba, VI-26/29-86, G. Bohart and W. Hanson (1♂); Heredia, Chilamate, VIII-18/23-88, W. J. Hanson (1♂): Guanacaste, 3 km SE R. Naranjo, VII-21/31-92, F. D. Parker (1♂): V-20- 93 (1♂); X-1/9-92 (1♂); San Jose, San Isidro General, II-93 (1♂), all in EMUS; BRITISH HONDURAS, Middlesex, IV-29-69, E. C. Welling (1♂); COSTA RICA, Alajuela, 20 km S. Upala, VI-90, F. D. Parker (1♂); XII-13-90-I-91 (1♂); IV-30-V-6-91 (1♂); V-10/29-91 (1♂); Guanacaste, 14 km S. Cañas, VI-1/22-91 (1♂); Heredia, La Selva, IV-4/17-97 (1♂); VIII-24/30-88 (1♂); Puntarenas, Sirena, VII-77, D. H. Janzen (2♂); MEXICO, Veracruz, Lake Catemaco , VIII-8/16-80, H. P. Howden (1♂), all in DGMC .

Distribution. Mexico (Veracruz); Honduras; Costa Rica (collected from all provinces except Limon).

Etymology. In reference to the type locality of Guanacaste, Costa Rica; the specific-epithet is a noun in apposition.

Remarks. This species is known only from the male. A key diagnostic character is the scutellum with long lateral arms and a short, median process that forms a “W” -shaped structure. It is distinguished from D. naranjo and D. sleipniri by absence of a pit on sternum II. This seems to be a relatively common species in Costa Rica. There are approximately 30 specimens in addition to the type specimens.

Figures

PLATE 1. Male genitalia of Dasymutilla. A. D. atrata. B. D. baylegi. C. D. bimaculata. D. D. boharti. E. D. brazilia. F. D. chamela. G. D. chillcotti. H. D. fimbriata. I. D. guanacaste.