Storozhenkotilla Lelej, 2005

Lelej, Arkady S., Williams, Kevin A., Terine, Joshua B., Okayasu, Juriya, Parikh, Grishma R. & Kumar, Girish P., 2023, Review of the tribe Mutillini (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) from the Oriental Region, Zootaxa 5228 (4), pp. 455-476 : 470-471

Genus Storozhenkotilla Lelej, 2005

Storozhenkotilla Lelej, 2005: 37 , 176 (description), ♀, ♁; Lelej et al. 2007: 56 ; Brothers & Lelej 2017: 96; Pagliano et al. 2020: 236.

Type species: Mutilla aurofasciata André, 1907 by original designation.

Diagnosis. MALE. Head width less than pronotal width, not rounded posterad; preoccipital carina dorsally well developed, sharp and slightly projecting over head. Eyes weakly notched inside. Ocelli small. Mandible bidentate without subbasal tooth beneath and without subbasal inner tooth. F2 1.3 × F1. Prementum not tuberculate. Notauli and parapsids visible. Tegula longer than pronotal length laterad, projecting over axilla. Pterostigma large closed. Mesoscutellum non-modified. Propodeal posterior slope with strong longitudinal medial carina. Metasomal segment 1 wide transverse. T2 with long lateral felt line, S2 without any lateral felt line. S8 (hypopygium) not modified, T7 without carina. Gonostylus wide, basiventrally setose. Volsella shorter than penial valve and consists of wide cuspis and short process-like digitus; penial valves symmetrical, apically setose. T1 dorsally and T2–3(4) posterad with band of pale setae.

FEMALE. Head large, widened posterad, width slightly less than pronotal width; behind eye elongated; eye small. Genal carina well developed, hypostomal carina widened medially. Prementum not tuberculate. F1 1.5 × F2. Mandible bidentate, without subbasal inner tooth. Mesosoma with concave mesopleuron, scutellar scale lacking. Mesopleuron with well developed vertical (supracoxal) carina. Promesonotal suture carinated in type species. Fore tarsus without comb of strong spines. Mid and hind tibia with two rows of spines. Metasomal segment 1 wide transverse; T2 with lateral felt line. T2 basally with pale band which medially emarginated posterad and apical narrow pale band; T3 with wide pale band. T6 with distinct pygidial plate weakly carinated lateroapically, shiny or shagreened with a few rugae. S6 with two strong apical tubercles.

Species included. Storozhenkotilla aurofasciata (André, 1907) , ♁ ♀; S. binghami ( Lelej, 2005) , ♀, comb. nov.; and S. nathani Lelej , sp. nov., ♁.

Distribution. Oriental region (South India, Sri Lanka).

Remarks. Storozhenkotilla is most similar to Mutilla Linnaeus, 1758 . The male differs by having the gonostylus weakly setose (densely setose in Mutilla and many Kurzenkotilla ), and by having a lateral clypeal projection (medial projection in Mutilla ). In having setal markings on the basal part of T2, females of Storozhenkotilla Lelej resemble those of Kurzenkotilla Lelej but easily differ by having setal markings forming a transverse pale band basally on T2 (with two pale setal spots disposed transversely in Kurzenkotilla ).