Sphaeropthalma pallidipes Schuster, 1958

Wilson, Joseph S., 2017, Nocturnal Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California with the description of three new species, Zootaxa 4319 (2), pp. 329-367 : 358-359

Sphaeropthalma pallidipes Schuster, 1958

Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) pallidipes pallidipes Schuster, 1958: 27 . ♂. Holotype data: Lost.

Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) pallidipes gila Schuster, 1958: 28 . ♂. Holotype data: Lost. Synonymized by Mickel (1974).

Diagnosis of male. This species has deeply excised mandibles having the apex oblique and the dorsal carina terminating well before the apex, the lack of a sternal felt line, lack of mesosternal processes, the pronotum and second metasomal segment that is sometimes darkened, and genitalic morphology. The cuspis is almost as long as the paramere with long curved spinulae on the inner margin from the base to the apex and short spinulae elsewhere. The parameres have long curved spinulae on the inner margin that are thicker medially than proximally or distally and have short spinulae on the outer margin.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. JTNP: 26–28.Aug.2012: 4 ♂ S5; 10 ♂ S7; 7 ♂ S9; 1 ♂ S13.22– 24.Sep.2012: 3 ♂ S5; 2 ♂ S7.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, and New Mexico) and northern Mexico (Sonora).

Activity. This species is seemingly active later in the season at JTNP.

Remarks. This species is a member of the S. orestes species-group ( Pitts & Sadler 2015). Mickel (1974) synonymized the subspecies with which we agree. Paratypes of both subspecies exist at UMSP from Tucson, AZ (subspecies pallidipes ) and from San Carlos, AZ and NM (subspecies gila ). The holotypes were never labeled as such by Schuster. This species was collected only south of the transition zone in the Sonoran Desert during this study.