Traumatomutilla oxira Casal, 1969

Bartholomay, Pedro R., Williams, Kevin A., Luz, David R., Cambra, Roberto A. & Oliveira, Márcio Luiz de, 2019, Traumatomutilla André miscellanea: Revision of the bellica, bifurca, diabolica, and vitelligera species groups, and a new group for the new species T. pilkingtoni Bartholomay and Williams (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae: Sphaeropthalminae: Dasymutillini), Insecta Mundi 709 (709), pp. 1-37 : 20-23

Traumatomutilla oxira Casal, 1969

( Fig. 46–50 )

Tramatomutilla oxira Casal 1969: 294 . Holotype female, Brazil, Paraíba, Soledade, Juazeirinho (AMNH), examined.

Diagnosis. Female. This species is separated from other members of the bifurca species group by having a genal carina, lacking a scutellar scale and, by the overall setal pattern with the head having black setae medially on the frons and vertex, mesosoma with silvery-white lateral stripes throughout and metasoma with a pair of closely spaced submedial spots of silvery-white setae. Additionally, the fringes of T2–5 have silvery-white setae only laterally and T2 is virtually devoid of dense and short setae laterally.

Description Female. Body length 08 mm. Head. Posterior margin virtually straight. Head width 0.9 × pronotal width. Eye length in frontal view 0.9 × distance from its ventral margin to mandibular condyle. Head sculpture completely concealed by dense setae, except ventral surface, irregularly coarsely and shallowly punctate. Mandible with small subapical tooth. Dorsal scrobal carina present, well-defined, reaching antennal tubercles and vestigial lateral scrobal carina; lateral scrobal carina reduced to longitudinal, interrupted, impunctate area. Antennal tubercle coarsely and irregularly rugose. Flagellomere 1 1.8 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 1.3 × pedicel length. Genal carina present, broadly separated from gular carina and hypostomal carina. Occipital carina equally wide throughout, tubercles of vertex absent. Mesosoma. Mesosoma 0.8 × as long as wide. Mesosoma densely and coarsely areolate-punctate, areolations denser and smaller mediad. Anterior face of propodeum well-defined, vestigially striated longitudinally; micropunctate at dorsal third. Humeral carina present, narrowly connected to poorly defined low epaulet, anterolateral corners of pronotum rounded in dorsal view. Pronotal spiracle slightly projected from lateral margin of pronotum. Sculpture of lateral face of pronotum and mesosomal pleurae obscured by dense setae, except dorsal fourth of metapleuron asetose and impunctate. Lateral face of propodeum coarsely and confusedly sculptured. Ratios of width of humeral angles, pronotal spiracles, widest point of mesonotum, narrowest point of mesonotum and propodeum posterior to propodeal spiracles, 53:62:59:51:44. Lateral margin of mesosoma not emarginated anterior to propodeal spiracle, smoothly and slightly diverging anterad, converging slightly posterior to pronotal spiracles. Propodeal spiracle virtually flat against lateral margin of mesosoma; post-spiracular absent. Scutellar scale and anterolateral carinae absent. Scabrous intervals absent. Posterior face of propodeum longer than dorsal face. Metasoma. Ratios of width of T1, width of T2 and length of T2, 36:78:72. T2 virtually as wide as long, with maximum width posterior to midlength. Dorsal sculpture of metasoma mostly concealed by dense setae except laterally of T2 sparsely foveolate-punctate. S1 with coarse blunt longitudinal carina, equally high throughout. S2 dense coarse foveolate-punctate; subapical transverse slope absent; antero-medial longitudinal crest-fold absent. S3–6 dense coarse foveolate-punctate. Pygidium sub-ovate, defined by lateral carinae, except at basal fifth; surface with longitudinal interrupted subparallel costae; interstice rugose.

Coloration and variations. Body and appendages reddish-brown to black. Body setae predominantly silvery-white, except for reddish-black to black setae on the following: medially on vertex and front, medially on mesosomal dorsum, medially on dorsal face of T1, most of T2 disc, and medially on T3–5. No significant color or setae variations have been observed in the specimens examined.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. (10♀) Type material. Holotype of Traumatomutilla oxira , ♀, BRAZIL, Paraíba, Soledade, Juazeirinho , VI.1956, A.G.A. Silva ( AMNH) . Paratypes of Traumatomutilla oxira , 2♀, same label data as holotype ( AMNH) . Other material. 5♀ same label data as type series ( DZUP) ; Pernambuco, Petrolina, 09°19’44.2’’S 40°33’30.1’’W, 1♀, 24–26.iii.2018, Martins H.O.J. ( CSCA) ; 1♀, 14–16.v.2018, Martins H.O.J. ( CSCA) .

Distribution. Brazil.

Host. Unknown.

Remarks. Williams et al. (2017) noted that T. oxira was structurally different from T. bifurca . The genal carina, though reduced, is distinct in this species and there is no trace of any scutellar scale or anterolateral carinae in the scutellar area except for a slight change in the sculpture intervals, which are wider in relation to the remainder of the mesosomal dorsum. Additionally, T. oxira is apparently a more slender species in comparison with T. bifurca . This species is known only from a single locality in northeastern Brazil, no putative males for this species have yet been found. For that reason, we refrain from transferring this species into another species group or erecting a new group for the species.

Figures

Figures 46–50. Traumatomutilla oxira Casal, 1969, ♀, holotype. 46) Dorsal habitus, line 2mm. 47) Lateral habitus, line 2mm. 48) Head, frontal view. 49) T6 (pygidium), posterior view. 50) Holotype labels.