Invreiella suarezi, Waldren, 2020

Waldren, George C., Williams, Kevin A., Cambra, Roberto A. & Pitts, James P., 2020, Systematic revision of the North American velvet ant genus Invreiella Suárez (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with description of eleven new species, Zootaxa 4894 (2), pp. 151-205 : 193-194

Invreiella suarezi species-group

(Map 7)

Members of this female-based species-group are recognized by the following combination of character states:

1. Antennal scrobe carina position: inner tip well-separated from antennal rim.

2. Frons and antennal rim position: frons transversely recessed and concave below antennal scrobe carina, antennal rim consequently recessed and not visible when head viewed laterally.

3. Antennal rim: rounded.

4. Clypeus: concave, recessed, with transverse arcuate carina complete, with small lateral tubercle ventrad to carina.

5. Genal process: triangular, posterior genal carina weakly sinuate.

6. Pronotal carina: absent, with cluster of dense contiguous punctures in its place, edges of punctures may be tuberculate and crenulate, simulating weak carina.

7. Lateral face of pronotum sculpture: rugose-striate, with moderate punctures amid the striae.

8. Vertical column of punctures of mesopleuron: puncture edges tuberculate, forming crenulate anterior and posterior carinae.

9. Mesopleuron, metapleuron, and lateral face of propodeum sculpture, where present: microgranulate to striate-rugose, with micropunctures and few moderate punctures.

Species included: I. erythrocephala Waldren , sp. nov., I. suarezi Waldren , sp. nov., and I. tequila Waldren , sp. nov.

Distribution: Mexico (Guerrero, Jalisco, and Morelos).

Biogeography: Mexican transition zone (Sierra Madre del Sur province, Sierra Madre Occidental province); Neotropical region (Balsas Basin province).

Remarks: The transverse recession of the frons below the antennal scrobe carinae is noteworthy for this speciesgroup, which results in the antennal rims being recessed and essentially not visible when the head is viewed laterally; the clypeus is consequently also recessed. Members of the I. satrapa species-group also have this same transverse recession below the antennal scrobe carinae to varying degrees. Further, it is also observed in some unrelated Pseudomethocini , such as several undescribed Pseudomethoca (sensu lato) species, wherein the frons at or dorsad the antennal scrobe carinae is swollen, resulting in recessed antennal rims. The recessed antennal rim condition is manifested in its most extreme form in members of Horcomutilla Casal, 1962 where the frons at the antennal scrobe carinae is swollen and anterad-projecting to varying degrees, with the antennal rims consequently being highly recessed.