Aglaotilla schadophaga Taylor, Murphy, Hitchen & Brothers, 2019

Taylor, Christopher K., Murphy, Mark V., Hitchen, Yvette & Brothers, Denis J., 2019, Four new species of Australian velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae, Aglaotilla) reared from bee and wasp nests, with a review of Australian mutillid host records, Zootaxa 4609 (2), pp. 201-224 : 215-219

Aglaotilla schadophaga Taylor, Murphy, Hitchen & Brothers , sp. nov.

Figs 9–10 .

Diagnosis. Females can be distinguished by their combination of a black ground coloration with dark metallic blue gloss on head and metallic purple gloss on mesosoma and metasoma, medial apical spot of white setae on T2, head not much extended behind eyes, T2 without prominent depressions, and antenna with F1 nearly twice as long as F2. Males are evenly metallic dark blue with purple gloss on mesosoma and metasoma but not on head, predominantly white setae on the clypeus, head not much extended behind eyes, humeral angles rounded, tegula evenly rounded posteriorly, and genitalia with short parameres bearing elongate dark setae externally only.

Description. Female (fig. 9). Total length 6.10–9.92 mm; mesosoma length 2.02–3.49 mm. Integument black; head with dark metallic blue gloss, mandible entirely black; mesosoma, legs and metasoma with metallic purple gloss; tibial spurs pale. Head in frontal view subquadrate, only marginally wider than long; width of head behind eyes 0.9 width of mesosoma; head densely punctate. Occipital carina well developed. Sides of head behind eyes subparallel, posteromarginal corners of head distinct but rounded. Eye ovate, hemispherical, margins entire; maximum eye diameter 2.0 distance between top of eye and rear margin of head, minimum frons width 0.6 head width. Frons and vertex with black erect to semi-decumbent, mostly simple (occasionally sparsely brachyplumose) setae, replaced by white setae towards lower margin of frons and above occipital carina. Dorsal margin of antennal scrobe with transverse carina reaching lower margin of eye. Antennal tubercles simple, smooth, closely placed medially. Malar space in frontal view about 0.8 eye height; gena sparsely covered with white semi-decumbent, brachyplumose setae; genal and postgenal carinae undeveloped. Clypeus moderately covered with white erect, brachyplumose setae; clypeus with raised area present between antennal bases, triangular and bordered by carinae in frontal view, flattened in lateral view, with carina continuing onto lower margin of antennal scrobe, with distinct tubercle on carina slightly below antennal tubercle. Antenna with scape simple, evenly curved, bearing white brachyplumose setae. Pedicel 1.3 as long as wide, 0.5 length of F1; F1 2.3 as long as wide, 1.9 as long as F2. Mandible tapering with subapical inner tooth. Mesosoma pyriform in dorsal view, length 1.5 maximum width, sides diverging slightly to behind prothoracic spiracle and then converging towards propodeum. Dorsal profile slightly flattened; propodeum with rounded but distinct turn between disc and declivity; dorsal sculpture coarsely punctate-reticulate; boundaries of mesonotum and propodeum obscured by sculpture. Dorsum of mesosoma with black erect, simple setae; sides and venter of mesosoma with white erect, brachyplumose setae. Anterior margin of mesosoma (excluding pronotal collar) weakly convex; humeral angles rounded. Dorsal face of pronotum laterally margined by strong carina; pronotal-mesopleural boundary largely indistinct; lateral face of pronotum shallowly punctate-reticulate. Anterior face of mesopleuron moderately punctate; posterior face of mesopleuron coarsely punctate-reticulate dorsally, punctures becoming shallower ventrally. Anterior face of metapleuron narrow, smooth; posterior face of metapleuron coarsely punctate-reticulate; metapleural-propodeal boundary marked by smooth sulcus. Legs: Fore leg with tarsal comb. Mid and hind tibiae each with two spines in longitudinal row on outer margin. Metasoma: T1 about as wide as long, sides diverging from base, minor constriction around apical margin, T1 0.6 width of T2, moderately punctate; setation of T1 mostly white, erect, brachyplumose (some plumose setae towards anterior margin), with black, erect, sparsely brachyplumose setae posteriorly across high point; posterior margin of T1 behind high point with dense fringe of decumbent white setae. T2 broadly convex, slightly flattened dorsally, sparsely punctate, with semi-decumbent and erect black simple setae dorsally, and white erect, brachyplumose setae along lateral margins; length of felt line 0.3 length of T2; posterior margin of T2 with dense fringe of decumbent black setae, with medial spot of white setae. T3–T6 densely punctate; tergites mostly covered with black erect to semi-decumbent, brachyplumose setae with narrow medial line of white setae from T3–T5. S1 with weak median ridge anteriorly. S2 with steep profile anteriorly rounding into slight concavity along greater length. S2–S5 moderately punctate with white, erect, brachyplumose setae; S2 with ventral felt line absent. S6 with black, long, simple setae.

Male (fig. 10). Total length 6.41–8.23; mesosoma length 2.38–3.30. Integument dark metallic blue with metallic purple gloss, except black antenna, mandible and tarsi; tibial spurs white. Head in frontal view ovate, 1.4 as wide as long; width of head behind eyes 0.9 width of mesosoma; head densely punctate. Occipital carina well developed dorsally. Sides of head behind eyes shortly parallel, rear of head straight, rear corners of head square but rounded. Eye ovate, strongly protruding, margins entire; maximum eye diameter 6.8 distance between top of eye and rear of head; minimum frons width 0.6 head width. Vertex strongly convex, ocellar triangle not distinctly elevated. Frons and vertex with intermixed white and black erect, brachyplumose setae, with white setae denser near lower margin of frons. Median ocellus lidded, 0.05 width of head; distance between posterior ocelli 0.9 distance between posterior ocellus and eye; distance between median and posterior ocelli 0.7 distance between posterior ocelli. Antennal scrobe rounded, extending close to lower margin of eye in lower part, margin of scrobe weakly carinate. Antennal tubercle with dorsal ridge, basally punctate, distally smooth, adjacent medially. Malar space in frontal view 0.5 eye height; gena densely covered with white semi-decumbent to erect, brachyplumose setae; genal and postgenal carina indistinct. Clypeus with ventral margin slightly sinuate. Antenna with scape simple, evenly curved, punctate, bearing white long densely brachyplumose setae with some black setae at distalmost end. Pedicel 0.7 as long as wide, 0.5 as long as F1; F1 1.3 as long as wide, 0.8 as long as F2. Mesosoma mostly densely punctate; metapleuron dorsally smooth, ventrally punctate-reticulate; propodeum coarsely punctate-reticulate. Propodeum evenly rounded in lateral view, disc merging into declivity. Pronotum and scutellum with mixed erect, black and white brachyplumose setae; mesoscutum with black erect, brachyplumose setae; propodeum and sides and venter of mesosoma with white erect, brachyplumose setae. Anterior margin of pronotum (excluding pronotal collar) weakly concave; humeral angles rounded. Length of pronotal midline about 0.4 distance between anteriormost point of mesoscutum and level of tegula. Mesoscutum with strongly marked notaulus in posterior half, extending slightly anterior to level of tegula, broadening posteriorly; parapsidal line reduced to short groove alongside anterior half of notaulus, not extending forward of level of tegula. Tegula subcircular; mostly smooth, evenly convex; rear margin slightly produced, posteriorly shallowly emarginate, rearmost point slightly behind level of mesoscutal-scutellar boundary. Axilla produced into strong rearward-directed lateral tooth, extending about one-third of the length of the scutellum. Scutellum and metanotum both convex medially, excavated laterally, with median section narrowing posteriorly; metanotum with boundary between median and lateral sections not carinate. Fore wing with distally acute pterostigma, pterostigma 3.6 as long as wide; marginal cell distally truncate, 2.2 as long as wide, without distal spur vein; three closed submarginal cells present, with distal veins of third submarginal cell weak. Legs: Mid and hind tibiae without dorsal spines. Metasoma: T1 about as wide as long, sides diverging evenly with slight constriction apically; maximum width of T1 0.6 width of T2; sculpture densely punctate with white erect, brachyplumose setae. T2 flattened dorsally; densely punctate; setation mostly black erect, simple setae, with white erect, brachyplumose setae laterally broadening to form paired lateral patches anteriorly; felt line 0.3 lateral length of T2. T3–T6 densely punctate, with mixture of white and black erect setae. T7 with pygidial area indistinct. S1 without median carina. S 2 in profile with steep anterior face in front of produced anterior mound, greater length straight; S2 moderately punctate with white erect, brachyplumose setae, posterior margin with fringe of decumbent white setae; short felt line present laterally, 0.5 length of felt line on T2. S3–S6 weakly punctate, with mixture of erect black and white setae. S7 with mixture of black erect, sparsely brachyplumose setae and white semi-decumbent, brachyplumose setae. Genitalia with paramere relatively short, triangularly semi-truncate in dorsal view, bearing very elongate black setae externally except for distalmost section, remainder of paramere with medium-length pale setae; parapenial lobe extending to slightly behind tip of penis valve, straight, rounded terminally; cuspis of moderate length, very densely setose, extending beyond penis valve to about two-thirds length of paramere as narrow ventral finger, dorsal lobe (paracuspis) not extending beyond penis valve, ventral lobe short, rounded; digitus extending shortly beyond penis valve, sharply directed dorsad, extending slightly above dorsal margin of paramere; penis valve rounded between dorsal and apical margins, apical margin with few medium-length setae dorsally.

Holotype, ♀. Western Australia: 26 km S Wickepin , 3301’ S 11731 ’E, from nest of Megachile tosticauda , 13 February 2014, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101559).

Paratypes, 10♀♀, 6♂♂. Western Australia: 27 km N Wickepin , 3232’ S 11729 ’E, from nest of Megachile tosticauda , 22 January 2013, M. Murphy (1♂, WAM E 101582); 10 km E Wickepin, 3245’ S 11737 ’E, from nest of Megachile oblonga , 24 January 2013, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101560); 21 km NW Wickepin, 3238’ S 11720 ’E, from nest of Megachile sp. n., 14 January 2014, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101562); 4 km SW Corrigin, 3221’ S 11750 ’E, from nest of M. oblonga , 17 January 2014, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101561); 7 km SW Pingelly, 3234’ S 11701 ’E, from nest of M. tosticauda , 10 February 2014, M. Murphy (1♂, WAM E 101563); 21 km N Wagin, 3307’ S 11718 ’E, from nest of M. tosticauda , 12 February 2014, M. Murphy (1♂, WAM E 101564); 27 km SE Wagin, 3327’ S 11734 ’E, from nest of M. oblonga , 12 February 2014, M. Murphy (1♂, WAM E 101583); 18 km E Wickepin, 3246’ S 11741 ’E, from nest of M. tosticauda , 13 February 2014, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101567); 26 km S Wic- kepin, 3301’ S 11731 ’E, from two nests of M. tosticauda , 13 February 2014, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101566; 1♂, DJBC); 12 km N Narrogin, 3249’ S 11709 ’E, from nest of Megachile sp. n., 11 March 2014, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101584); 20 km S Wagin, 3329’ 11722’E, from nest of M. tosticauda , 12 March 2014, M. Murphy (1♀,

WAM E 101569; 1♀ , DJBC); 20 km SE Wagin, 3323’ S 11732 ’E, from nest of M. tosticauda , 12 March 2014, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101585; GAN: MK 618686 ); 7 km SE Brookton, 3224’ S 11704 ’E, from nest of M. tosticauda , 17 April 2014, M. Murphy (1♀, WAM E 101570); 20 km SW Pingelly , 3241’ S 11657 ’E, from nest of M. tosticauda , 17 April 2014, M. Murphy (1♂, WAM E 101586; GAN: MK 618682 ) .

Comments. Females of A. schadophaga sp. nov. differ in coloration from all described females, but are perhaps otherwise most similar to those of A. ignita ( Smith, 1855) which have the head brassy to purplish green, the mesosoma blue-green and the metasoma dark purplish, but also have a complete broad apical setal band on T2 and small pale median setal patches on T3–5. Males differ from all described males in their distinctive coloration, being primarily purple-blue but with the head purely blue; the most similar in coloration are perhaps A. submetallescens and A. chalcea sp. nov. (see above), but A. schadophaga sp. nov. additionally clearly differs from both of those in the form of the parameres.

Etymology. Species name a latinized adjective, from the Greek schadôn, a bee larva, and phagein, to eat, in reference to this species’ larval diet.

Host Records. Species reared from resin bee nests of the genus Megachile ( Hymenoptera : Megachilidae ), of the species M. oblonga Smith, 1879 , M. tosticauda Cockerell, 1912 and an undescribed species ( Megachile ”species 2 in Murphy 2016, WAM code: M382 [males]/F442 [females]).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Aglaotilla schadophaga sp. nov., ♀, holotype. A: facial view; B: lateral view; C: mesosoma, dorsal view; D: meta- soma, dorsal view.

FIGURE 10. Aglaotilla schadophaga sp. nov., ♂, paratype, from nest of Megachile tosticauda, 21 km N Wagin, 12 February 2014. A: facial view; B: lateral view; C: dorsal view; D: genitalia, dorsal view; E: genitalia, ventral view.