Photomorphus (Photomorphina) auriventris Schuster

Brabant, Craig M., Williams, Kevin A. & Pitts, James P., 2010, True females of the subgenus Photomorphina Schuster (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Zootaxa 2559, pp. 58-68 : 61-62

Photomorphus (Photomorphina) auriventris Schuster

( Fig. 2 )

Photomorphus (Photomorphina) auriventris Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. (n.s.) 37: 40. Male: holotype lost.

Diagnosis of female: Females of P. auriventris are separated from other females in the subgenus from the eastern USA by the following characters: mandible with a strong ventral tooth basally, pygidium with longitudinal striae at least on basal two-thirds, and vertex dorsally and mesosoma, T2, and T4 with dark brown or ferruginous setae ( Fig. 2 ).

Description of female: Length. 3.5–6.4 mm. Coloration and Setal Pattern. Integument of body light ferruginous to brown ferruginous. Legs concolorous to castaneous. Antennal flagellum stramineous, slightly paler than head. Short reddish-brown to golden-reddish brachyplumose setae dorsally throughout; longer whitish setae present on propodeum and T1. T2–5 with sparse fringe of pale plumose setae, T4 (and sometimes T3 medially) with apical fringe of dark ferruginous setae; coloration of setae darker on lateral margins of tergites. Disk of T2 and T4 with appressed and erect ferruginous setae. Legs with white brachyplumose setae.

Head. Head rounded posteriorly, subequal in width to the mesosoma at their widest points, moderately punctate. Head evenly rounded in lateral view; occipital region straight and gena evenly rounded. Eye ovate, distance from posterior mandibular articulation ~ 4X visible length of pedicel. Clypeus protruding anteriorly, posteromedially produced into low triangular tubercle with fringe of plumose setae projecting ventrally. Malar space parallel in frontal view. Antennal scrobe without dorsal carina. Antennal tubercle subglabrous, impunctate. Flagellomere 1 ~1.2X length of pedicel. Flagellomeres 2 and 3 ~1.2X length of pedicel or slightly longer. Flagellomeres 2–10 slightly produced apically on ventral side; surface densely, finely punctate, appearing dull. Mandible bidentate apically, attenuated towards apex. Ventral mandibular margin with distinct round basal tooth. Genal carina absent. Hypostomal carinae lamellate medially.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma slightly wider anteriorly than posteriorly, longer than broad. Mesosoma densely punctate dorsally. Propleuron anterodorsally and mesopleuron medially running vertically punctate. Epaulet not prominent. No transverse carinae present on dorsum of propodeum, but appearing denticulate to tuberculate posteriorly on dorsum of propodeum. Tubercles randomly situated and more prominent towards posterior; projecting posteriorly. Distinct scutellar scale absent. Mesosternum with low transverse tubercle present medially just anterior to mesocoxa. Metasternum with medial projection, extending dorsoventrally between hind coxae. Propodeum rounded, without distinct dorsal and vertical faces.

Metasoma. Segment 1 distinctly subsessile with segment 2. T1 with small sparse punctures. T2 with evenly distributed, moderate punctures. T2 with felt line; length 0.5X length of tergite. T3–5 shagreened. T6 with distinct pygidial area defined laterally by carinae; surface weakly longitudinally striate-granulate on anterior three-fifths, remainder shagreened; convex. S2–5 with punctation similar to tergites.

Distribution. Northern Great Plains and western Great Lakes Regions.

Material examined: USA, Illinois, Madison Co.: Poag Rd, sand prairie near Edwardsville, 1993, D.A. Landes (3 Ψ, EMUS); Wisconsin, Adams Co.: ~ 7.5 mi SSW Friendship, Quincy Bluff and Wetlands SNA, 12.Aug.2006, J.P. Gruber (1 Ψ, CMBC); Columbia Co. : 5 mi. N of Poynette, Rock Run Oak Savanna: 18–29.Jun.2000, J.P. Gruber (2 Ψ, CMBC); 29.Jun–19.Jul.2000, J.P. Gruber (1 Ψ, CMBC); Juneau Co.: 10 mi. NW of New Lisbon, Juneau County Forest: 25.Jul.2004, J.P. Gruber (2 Ψ, CMBC); 16.Aug.2004, J.P. Gruber (3 Ψ, CMBC); 28.Aug.2004, J.P. Gruber (1 Ψ, CMBC); 28.Aug–12.Sep.2004, J.P. Gruber (1 Ψ, CMBC); 12.Sept.2004, J.P. Gruber (4 Ψ, CMBC); Richland Co.: 2 mi. NNW of Lone Rock, 24.Jul.2003, C.M. Brabant (1 Ψ, CMBC); Gotham Jack Pine Barrens, 9.Aug.2004, J.J. Dorshorst (1 Ψ, CMBC); Sauk Co.: 2 mi. NNE of Spring Green, Spring Green Prairie–TNC: 17.Jun.2000, J.P. Gruber (1 Ψ, CMBC); 31.Aug.2002, J.P. Gruber (1 Ψ, CMBC); 13.Jul.2003, J.P. Gruber (2 Ψ, CMBC); 01.Aug.2003, J.P. Gruber (1 Ψ, CMBC); 03.Jul.2009, J.P. Gruber (6 Ψ, CMBC); 09.Jul.2009, C.M. Brabant (15 Ψ, CMBC).

Remarks. There is variation in the pygidial sculpture of this female; the parallel striae may be present only in the basal 0.65X of the pygidial length, or extend throughout its length.

This sex association is based on distributional data. During an extensive survey of the mutillid fauna in Wisconsin only two male Photomorphus s.l. species were collected, P. (Photomorphus) johnsoni (herein synonymized with P. impar ) and P. (Photomorphina) auriventris . Two female species were also collected, P. johnsoni and an undescribed morphospecies, collected concurrently with males of P. auriventris . Because the only Photomorphina species ever collected in Wisconsin is P. auriventris , and because this female shares many characters with the other Photomorphina females described in this paper, we are confident that this morphospecies represents the female sex of P. auriventris .

Figures

FIGURES 1 − 6. Habitus, female. 1, Photomorphus archboldi (Florida); 2, P. auriventris (Wisconsin); 3, P. s p i n c i (South Carolina); 4, P. subtenuis (Nebraska); 5, P. impar (South Carolina); 6, P. myrmicoides (Missouri).