Tobantilla krima Williams, Brothers & Pitts

Williams, Kevin A., Brothers, Denis J. & Pitts, James P., 2011, New species of Tobantilla Casal, 1965 and a new genus and species, Gogoltilla chichikovi gen. et sp. nov., from Argentina (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Zootaxa 3064, pp. 41-68 : 57-58

Tobantilla krima Williams, Brothers & Pitts , sp. nov.

( Figs 5 , 11 )

Diagnosis. FEMALE. The pronotum is clothed with black setae that contrast with the pale golden mesonotal setae ( Fig. 5 ); the scutellar scale is separated from the dorsal propodeal carina; and T2 has a single pair of yellow integumental spots, on the posterior half ( Fig. 5 ).

Description. FEMALE. Body length 4.5 mm. Coloration. Head and mesosoma pale brown, except metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum brown. Metasoma dark brown to black, except T4–6 brown and T2 having a pair of yellow circular spots in basal half. Legs, antennae and mandibles pale brown. Tibial spurs white. Head and mesosoma clothed with pale golden or silvery setae, except pronotum clothed with black setae and dorsum of head and mesosoma having a few scattered erect brown setae. T2–3 clothed with black setae, except lateral margins and integumental spots clothed with silver setae. T5–6 and S1–6 clothed with silvery white setae. Head. Rounded posteriorly, with lowly produced rectangular glabrous tubercles on posterolateral margin. Head width 1.0 × pronotal width. Eye almost circular. Front and vertex coarsely contiguously punctate; gena shallowly reticulate. Genal carina lowly produced, extending anteriorly to hypostomal carina. Mandible oblique, tapering, bidentate apically, unarmed ventrally. Antennal scrobe lacking dorsal carina. Antennal tubercle moderately punctate basally. Scape simply punctate. Flagellomere 1 1.2 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 1.2 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Mesosomal length 1.1 × width; pronotum 0.95 × as wide as mesothorax. Mesosomal dorsum reticulate. Humeral carina low, extending to epaulet. Lateral face of pronotum and mesopleuron micropunctate, dull, mesopleural ridge broadly and shallowly reticulate; clothed with sparse silver setae. Metapleuron dorsal to endophragmal pit and dorsal twothirds of lateral face of propodeum shagreened; ventral regions of metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum shagreened. In dorsal view, mesosoma gradually narrowed posterior to pronotum, lateral margin of mesothorax weakly sinuate anterior to propodeal spiracle. Scutellar scale highly raised, having transverse w-shaped carinae anteriorly. Dorsal and posterior propodeal faces separated by transverse carina. Dorsal propodeal face convergent posterior to spiracle, posterolateral angle rounded, posterior face virtually flat, vertical, reticulate and clothed with moderately dense silver setae on dorsal half. Metasoma. T1 narrow and petiolate, somewhat cylindrical, 0.5 × as wide as T2. T2 1.15 × longer than wide, with maximum width situated medially. T2 densely punctate, punctation similar on integumental spots and disc of T2; S2 moderately punctate. T3–5 densely punctate, S2–5 moderately punctate. Pygidium well defined by lateral carinae, posterior margin rounded, having 8 widely separated striae, spaces between striae glabrous.

MALE. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype, Ƥ, COLOMBIA: Bolivar, Zambrano, Alrededores Hacienda Toleteme, 9°N 74°W, 13.XII.1994, Sobre carretera destapada (on dirt road), M. Ospina ( AMNH).

Distribution. This species is known from the type locality only.

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. From the Greek krima “crime”, a noun in apposition. This species, along with T. kolasma , is named after the Russian novel Преступление и наказание “Crime and Punishment” written by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.

Remarks. This species was collected over 800 km away from the only known Colombian male, T. andrikos , but was collected 400 km away from the Venezuelan male, T. xouthos ( Fig. 39 ). More field observations, collection data or molecular data are necessary to make a concrete sex association.

The scutellar armature of this species is similar to that of the Argentinean species, T. charrasca and T. montonera , and dissimilar to that of T. frigidula and T. kolasma .

Figures

FIGURE 39. Distribution of Tobantilla species.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Tobantilla species, females, habitus, dorsal view. 1. T. aleatrix sp. nov.; holotype; 2. T. charrasca Casal; 3. T. frigidula (Cresson); 4. T. kolasma sp. nov., holotype; 5. T. krima sp. nov., holotype; 6. T. montonera Casal.

FIGURES 7 – 14. Tobantilla species, females. 7 - 12. Habitus, lateral view. 7. T. aleatrix sp. nov., holotype; 8. T. charrasca Casal; 9. T. frigidula (Cresson); 10. T. kolasma sp. nov., holotype; 11. T. krima sp. nov., holotype; 12. T. montonera Casal. 13, 14. Pygidium (T 6). 13. T. frigidula; 14. T. aleatrix.