Pseudomethoca pumila (Burmeister, 1855) Burmeister, 1855

Bergamaschi, Antonio C. B., Cambra, Roberto A. & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2011, New combinations, sex association, behavioural notes and potential host record for two Neotropical species of Pseudomethoca Ashmead, 1896 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Zootaxa 3062, pp. 55-63 : 56-58

Pseudomethoca pumila (Burmeister, 1855) , comb. nov.

( Figs 1–8 )

Mutilla pumila Burmeister 1855: 27 , Ƥ.

Ephuta (Ephuta) pumila: André 1902: 63 , Ƥ.

Ephuta pumila: Nonveiller 1990: 88 , Ƥ (incertae sedis).

Diagnosis. In Mickel’s (1935) revised key to North American males of Pseudomethoca species, P. pumila runs to couplet 17 and is related to P. simillima ( Smith, 1855) . Male of P. pumila has the apical third of tergum 7 unsculptured, smooth; the clypeus anterior median margin straight; frons, vertex and gena with small, separated, punctures; while in P. simillima the tergum 7 is totally sculptured; the clypeal anterior median margin with an angulated concavity; frons, vertex and gena with medium-sized, very close, punctures. In Mickel’s (1935) revised key to North American females of Pseudomethoca species, P. pumila runs to couplet 21, but does not match either of the two alternatives in relation to the sculpture (punctate or rugose striate) of the pygidium. Using an unpublished key (R.A. Cambra) for female types of Neotropical Pseudomethoca , P. pumila is very closely related to Pseudomethoca pergrata ( Cresson 1902) , comb. nov. Pseudomethoca pumila has the pygidial area entirely glabrous; the apical fringe of tergum 1 with pale golden setae; and integument of terga 3 to 5 red. In P. p e rg r a t a the pygidial area is finely granulate; the apical fringe of tergum 1 has black setae; and the integument of terga 3 to 5 is black.

Description. MALE (hitherto unknown). Body length 8.0 mm. Color: Integument black; tibial spurs pale white; body and legs covered with sparse, simple, white setae, except: a few black setae near inner margin of eyes; mesoscutum with fuscous setae; apex of terga 2 to 6 and apex of sternum 5 with transverse row of fuscous setae; metasomal segments 6 and 7 mostly covered with black setae.

Head: transverse in dorsal view, sub-rounded ( Fig. 1 ); frons, vertex ( Fig. 1 ) and gena with small, separated, punctures; eye medium-sized, 0.5 × as long as medial length of head; ocelli small, distance between eye margin and lateral ocelli 4.7 × as long as diameter of latter; genal carina absent; clypeus convex mesally, its antero-medial margin straight and untoothed ( Fig. 1 ); proboscidal fossa large, extending laterally to insertion of mandibles; mandibles slender, bidentate apically ( Fig. 1 ); scrobal carina reduced to an inconspicuous protuberance between antennal tubercle and eye; antennal tubercle simple, without protuberance or carina; scape with a longitudinal carina underneath; first flagellomere about as long as second one.

Mesosoma: pronotum and mesonotum with medium-sized, separated, punctures; dorsum and posterior face of propodeum broadly reticulate; mesopleuron anterior one-third with small, separated, punctures; posterior twothirds with medium-sized, very close, punctures; metapleuron mostly glabrous and impunctate; pronotum with humeral area rounded, ventral area with short transverse carina; scutellum slightly convex, almost flat; tegula convex, without a distinct posterior surface, smooth and shiny but with a few punctures along anterior and lateral margins; forewing with two submarginal cells, third submarginal cell incomplete ( Fig. 2 ).

Metasoma: Terga 1 to 7 mostly with small, widely separated, punctures; apical one-third on tergum 7 mostly unsculptured, smooth; sterna 1 and 2 with medium-sized punctures; sterna 3 to 6 with small, contiguous, punctures, sternum 7 with small, sparse, punctures ( Fig. 3 ); tergum 1 about as long as wide and 0.64 × as long as tergum 2; tergum 1 0.55 × width of tergum 2; sternum 1 with a median longitudinal carina; tergum 2 with lateral felt line, about 0.56 × as long as lateral margin; sternum 2 without felt line; hypopygium with apex convex, with small, medial emargination ( Fig. 3 ); paramere with apex simple, basal half not very broad, but distal half gradually narrowing toward apex ( Fig. 4 ); ventral external margin with row of long setae, except apical one-fourth with row of sparse short setae ( Fig. 4 ), ventral internal margin with row of sparse, short setae; cuspis and digitus short ( Fig. 5 ), cuspis apex with long setae ( Fig. 5 ); setae white and simple; penis valve with apical tooth and lacking preapical tooth ( Fig. 6 ).

FEMALE (lectotype). Body length 6.0 mm. Color: integument of head black except scape, pedicellus, first three flagellomeres, and mandibles, red; mesosoma and legs red; tergum1, terga 4 to 6, sternum 1 and sterna 4 to 6, red; tergum 2 black except two large, yellow, sublunate spots extending to anterior margin of tergum 2 and coalescing medially ( Fig. 7 ); tergum 3 and sterna 2 mostly red, with black laterally; sternum 3 black.

Head: rectangular; with strong and dense punctation, interspaces less than half the width of punctures; frons not protuberant, not dentate immediately behind antennal tubercles; eyes large, distance between posterior margin of eyes and postero-lateral angles much less than half of the maximum diameter of eyes; scrobal carina present; genal carina present, gena not dentate; clypeus with anterior margin almost straight, medial area with an arcuate, transverse, ridge ending in anterior margin as a distinctive tubercle in front of each antennal tubercle; antenna slen- der, first flagellomere 1.1 × as long as second flagellomere, in dorsal view; mandibles with apex bidentate, simple beneath, without any tooth or process; frons with sparse golden setae; vertex with sparse black setae, sculpture not hidden by pubescence.

Mesosoma: 1.2 × as long as wide; lateral margin distinctly sinuate, gradually narrowing to propodeal spiracle then broadening posteriorly ( Fig. 7 ); punctation on dorsum medium-sized, deep, contiguous, and semiconfluent, becoming slightly coarser on propodeum and shallowly reticulate on declivity; lateral face of pronotum with very fine punctures; mesopleuron, metapleuron and side of propodeum smooth; lateral margin of mesonotum with a distinct tooth immediately behind the thoracic spiracle; lateral margins of posterior face of propodeum serrate; dorsum with sparse, golden and fuscous, setae; sides of pronotum, mesopleuron and propodeum with sparse, short, pale white pubescence; metapleuron glabrous.

Metasoma: Tergum 1 not constricted posteriorly, sessile and evenly merging with tergum 2; tergum 2 evenly convex throughout, without elevated, longitudinal carinae; last metasomal tergum with flattened medio-apical area defined by distinct lateral carina; pygidial area entirely glabrous; sternum 1 with a prominent, median, longitudinal keel; tergum 1 mostly with small, dense punctures; tergum 2 with medium-sized, dense, contiguous and somewhat confluent punctures throughout; terga and sterna 3 to 5 with small, close punctures; sternum 1 mostly smooth; sternum 2 with medium-sized close punctures; sterna 6 smooth except for small close punctures on apex; tergum 1 with pale golden setae; tergum 2 with black setae, except for mostly pale golden setae over the two yellow integumental spots; terga 3 to 6 and sterna 1 to 6 with pale golden setae.

Material examined. Lectotype (designated here), Ƥ, Nov.[a] Frib.[urgo] [ Brazil] / pumila Burm. [handwritten] / Lectotypus C.E. Mickel [ MLUH]. Additional material. Brazil, Paraná, Piraquara, Manancias da Serra, 25°29'18''S, 48°58'26''W, col. A.C.B. Bergamaschi: 26. XII.2007, 2 3 ( DZUP); 5. I.2008, 2 Ƥ ( MIUP, DZUP), 1 3 ( DZUP); 11. I.2008, 1 3 ( DZUP); 15. I.2008, 1 Ƥ ( DZUP); 11. I.2008, 2 3 ( MIUP, DZUP), 10. II.2008, 1 Ƥ ( DZUP); 4. III.2008, 1 Ƥ ( DZUP); 28. III.2008, 1 Ƥ ( DZUP); 2. IV.2008, 1 Ƥ ( DZUP); 15. XI.2008, 1 Ƥ ( DZUP).

Distribution. Southeastern Brazil.

Comments. Although the specimen is labeled as lectotype by C. Mickel, he never published a formal designation. The specimen mentioned by Burmeister (1854) from Lagoa Santa was not examined and probably has been lost.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Pseudomethoca pumila, 1. Head of male, frontal view; 2. Fore and hind wing of male; 3. Sternum 7 of male; 4. Male genitalia, dorsal view, p = paramere; 5. Digitus (d) and cuspis (c) of male geniatalia; 6. Penis valve, lateral view; 7. Female lectotype; 8 a, b, c. Lectotype labels.