Lomachaeta beadugrimi ( Pitts & Manley, 2004 )

Williams, Kevin A., Cambra, Roberto A., Bartholomay, Pedro R., Luz, David R., Quintero, Diomedes & Pitts, James P., 2019, Review of the genus Lomachaeta Mickel, 1936 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with new species and sex associations, Zootaxa 4564 (1), pp. 101-136 : 106-107

Lomachaeta beadugrimi ( Pitts & Manley, 2004)

( Figs 34 , 38 , 47 , 66 )

Smicromutilla beadugrimi Pitts & Manley, 2004: 20 . Holotype, ♂, USA, California, San Bernardino Co. (EMUS). Williams & Pitts (2009): Combination under Lomachaeta .

Diagnosis. MALE. The following combination of characters is diagnostic for L. beadugrimi : the body is entirely black, except T2–3 are largely orange; the mandible lacks a ventral tooth basally; the head and T2 disc have separated punctures; the forewing has veins encompassing the basal 0.7 × wing; the T1 shape is sub-sessile; the T2 fringe is composed of simple setae; and the paramere is dorsoventrally flattened, apically rounded, and has short setae only. Body length 3.5–5 mm.

FEMALE. This species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: the body is predominantly orange, except the antennae, legs, and T6 are largely dark-brown; the mandible lacks a distinct ventral lamella; the mesosoma is coarsely areolate and lacks appressed subparallel pale setae; the mesosoma is compact, with the thoracic dorsal length 0.8 × its width; the T2 disc is sparsely punctate, clothed with erect blackish brachyplumose setae, with the intervals microreticulate; the T2 fringe is sparse and simple; and the S6 lateral carina is distinctly triangular. Body length 2.5–3 mm.

Description. FEMALE. (hitherto unrecognized, based on female from Kern County). Body length 2.5–3 mm. Coloration. Body reddish-orange except F2–10 dark brown; femora, tibiae, and tarsi dark brown apically; and T6 dark brown. Tibial spurs white. Erect dorsal brachyplumose setae on frons, vertex, mesonotum, T2 disc, and T6 black-brown; on vertex, pronotum, propodeum, T1, and T2 base white; and on T3–5 interspersed brown and white. Mesonotum with few scattered subappressed simple white setae; fringes of T2–5 composed of sparse subappressed simple white setae. Ventral and pleural setae white, except S6 setae black-brown. Head. Head width subequal to pronotal width. Frons, vertex and gena areolate, some vertex intervals obliterated. Clypeus without distinct teeth or ridges. Genal carina extending anteriorly nearly to hypostomal carina. Mandible oblique, tapering, bidentate apically, unarmed ventrally. Antennal scrobe without dorsal carina. Length of F1 subequal to pedicel; F2 1.1 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Mesosoma compact; dorsal thoracic length 0.8 × width. Humeral carina angulate dorsally, weak ventrally, not reaching epaulet. Mesosomal dorsum areolate; most intervals clearly defined, not raised into tubercles; areolations evenly distributed; dorsally with 10 areolations between pronotal spiracles. Pronotal and propodeal spiracles weakly swollen; lateral mesonotal tubercle distinct, small. Lateral propodeal face impunctate. Metasoma. T1 shape sub-sessile, subareolate. T2 slightly longer than wide. Disc of T2 with sparse punctures, intervals microreticulate. T3–5 and S2–5 with separated punctures, intervals microreticulate. T6 convex, incomplete lateral carina triangular.

Material examined. USA: Arizona: Maricopa County, Gila River, 10 km S. Arlington , malaise on sand beach, 200 m, 33°13.3’N 112°45.53’W, 25.V–03.VI.2010, M. E. Irwin (1♂, EMUS) ; Maricopa County, Gila River, 8 km S. Arlington , malaise in opening nr. tamerisk, 200 m, 33°13.42’N 112°46.27’W, 7–13.VI.2010, M. E. Irwin (1♂, EMUS) ; California: Kern County, Munsey Road , 5.8 km E Neuralia Road, 35.2872 o N 117.9223 o W, 590m, 24– 25.VI.2017, K. A. & E. E. Williams (1♀, CSCA, Figs 34 , 38 ) ; San Bernardino County: 6 mi E Phelan, Baldy Mesa , 21.IV–27.IV.1981, pan traps, J. T. Hubert (1♂, CSCA, Fig. 47 ) ; 10 mi. NW Barstow , 2200’, 4.VI.1971, R. R. & R. A. Snelling (1♀, EMUS) ; 4 mi. NW Adelanto , 2900 ft., 34°39’N 117°26’W, 22.V.1993, G. C. Snelling (71♀ 45♂, EMUS, Fig. 66 ) ; 4 mi. NW Adelanto , 2900 ft., 34°39’N 117°26’W, 11.VI.1993, G. C. Snelling, on Chamaesyce sp. (6♀, EMUS) ; 4 mi. NW Adelanto , 880 ft., 34°65’N 117°43’W, 02.VII.1995, R. R. & G. C. Snelling (11♀, EMUS) ; Los Angeles County, 3.2 km S. Pearblossom , 1067m, 15.VIII.1977, R. R. & G. C. Snelling (1♀, EMUS) .

Distribution. Hot deserts in Arizona, California, and Nevada.

Remarks. This species was originally placed in the genus Smicromutilla because it lacked thickened bristles on the T2 fringe. It is closely related to L. snellingella , which may eventually be recognized as a darkened southern variety of L. beadugrimi .

This sex association is based on a series of 45 males and 88 females collected near Adelanto, California by G.C. Snelling in the early 1990’s. These wasps were apparently feeding together on nectar from flowers of ground covering spurges in the subgenus Euphorbia (Chamaesyce) S.F. Gray.

The female from Kern County was collected in a sandy wash where workers of the ant genus Forelius Emery were foraging. The mutillid superficially resembled these ants, differing by slightly larger size and a not easily describable difference in gait. It is not clear whether Lomachaeta are purposeful co-mimics with ants or this similarity is purely coincidental.

Figures

FIGURES 33–36. Lomachaeta females; dorsal habitus. 33) L. hedera; 34) L. beadugrimi; 35) L. powelli; 36) L. warneri, sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 37–40. Lomachaeta females; lateral habitus. 37) L. hedera; 38) L. beadugrimi; 39) L. powelli; 40) L. warneri, sp. nov. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 47–52. Lomachaeta males; lateral habitus (47–49, 51, 52) and face view (50). 47) L. beadugrimi; 48) L. powelli; 49–50) L. calamondin, sp. nov.; 51) L. ptilohyalus; 52) L. crocopinna. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 65–72. Lomachaeta line drawings: female mandible (65, 66), male genitalia, lateral view (67, 69, 71), penis valve, lateral view (68, 70, 72). 65) L. hicksi; 66) L. beadugrimi; 67–68) L. calamondin, sp. nov.; 69–70) L. eironeia, sp. nov.; 71–72) L. juanita, sp. nov.