Frigitilla

Bartholomay, Pedro R., Williams, Kevin A., Luz, David R. & Morato, Elder F., 2015, Frigitilla gen. nov., a new genus of Amazonian Mutillidae (Hymenoptera), Zootaxa 3957 (1), pp. 49-58 : 50-52

Frigitilla Williams in Bartholomay, Williams, Luz & Morato, gen. nov.

Type species. Mutilla frigidula Cresson, 1902 , designated here.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Females of Frigitilla can be recognized by the unique T6: the pygidial plate is small, distant from the apical margin and connected to it by a single median longitudinal carina (see Williams et al., 2011: Fig. 37). The following characters are also useful for diagnosis: the mesosoma is dorsally flattened and has a broadly arcuate scutellar scale; the tibial spurs are white or yellow, being paler than the tibiae and tarsi; T2 is dorsomedially flattened or depressed; and the first metasomal segment is weakly constricted apically and weakly petiolate. MALE. Males of Frigitilla can be diagnosed by S2, which is medially swollen and has a well-defined medial pit. The following characters are also useful for diagnosis: the clypeus has a median emargination with dense anteriorly directed setae; the pronotum has a well defined anterolateral carina connected to the epaulet, the axillae have a truncate projection posteriorly; the paramere is acute and weakly upcurved apically; and the cuspis is weakly laterally compressed, virtually straight, and lacking dense patches of setae.

Description. FEMALE. T2 with paired pale integumental spots. Head. Subquadrate, posterior margin virtually straight, dull, vertex and gena closely reticulate, clothed with decumbent simple setae and scattered erect simple setae. Occipital carina well developed dorsally. Vertex posterolaterally with indefinite subtriangular glabrous tubercle merging with occipital carina. Eye circular, protruding, ommatidia distinct. Antennal tubercles smooth anteriorly, contiguous inner basal surfaces with few reticulae. Antennal scrobe with dorsal carina. Clypeus with complete strong setose transverse carina above short smooth transverse concave area, ventral margin straightish medially. Malar space almost as high as combined length of pedicel + flagellomere 1. Genal carina inconspicuous, complete, reaching hypostomal carina and dorsally nearing vertex. Hypostomal carina distinct, even, ending laterally at posterior mandibular condyle. Scape simple, punctate above. Pedicel slightly longer than wide, shorter than first flagellomere; first flagellomere much longer than wide, longer than second. Mandible nearly straight, tapering distad, unidentate apically, unarmed ventrally. Maxillary palp 6-segmented; labial palp 4-segmented; intermediate palpomeres slightly expanded apicad. Mentum with longitudingal carina medially. Mesosoma. Elongate, coffin-shaped, widest in pronotum. Dorsum dull, closely reticulate, clothed with decumbent coarse and fine simple setae and scattered finely brachyplumose erect setae. Pronotal dorsal face (excluding anterior collar/ flange) with anterior margin almost straight, epaulet dentate, humeral angle blunt; anterior face and collar longitudinally striate. Posterodorsal margin of pronotum faintly indicated by very weak ridge, specially laterally. Scutellar scale strong, roughly half propodeal width, situated near posterior margin of dorsal face of propodeum, having uneven transverse carinae situated anterolateral of scale. Lateral face of pronotum clothed with dense fine decumbent setae that obscure the punctation; pronotal-mesopleural suture clear. Mesopleuron anteriorly finely and sparsely punctate, posteriorly reticulate, with fine decumbent setae. Metapleuron with fine punctures dorsally and large punctures ventrally, clothed with fine decumbent setae. Metapleural-propodeal suture obliterated dorsal to endophragmal pit. Lateral face of propodeum with large scattered punctures, interspaces with fine punctured, with a few fine decumbent setae; posterior face reticulate dorsally, micropunctate ventrally, with patches of dense fine decumbent setae laterally. Metasternal process slender, with longitudinal medial suture, extending posteriorly between metacoxae. Legs. Tibial spur formula 1-2-2. Foreleg with tarsal comb, a few long strong articulated spines on posterior/lateral margins of tarsomeres. Mid- and hind tibiae each with two rows of prominent spines, apical spines not inserted on any process; subapically with small inconspicuous secretory pore near base of inner spur; apical spurs broad, finely and deeply pectinate. Metacoxa with weak irregular longitudinal carina on inner/ posterior margin. Metasoma. T1 about as wide as long, <0.5 × width of T2, almost parallel-sided in dorsal view, oblique anterior and horizontal dorsal faces distinct, with fine decumbent pubescence and brachyplumose erect setae; anterior auricle prominent, dentate. Disc and fringe of T2 clothed with decumbent laterally flattened lanceolate setae except integumental spots having decumbent simple setae; lateral felt line broad, about 0.5 × as long as T2 laterally. T3–5 clothed with lanceolate decumbent setae. T6 with small, triangular pygidial plate, connected to apical margin by median longitudinal carina. S1 with longitudinal carina. S2 without felt line.

MALE. Without defined pubescent or integumental spots. Head. Transverse, at least as wide as mesosoma, surface shiny, densely punctate, clothed with decumbent and erect simple setae. Occipital carina distinct. Vertex swollen and produced behind ocelli. Eye transversely ovate, protruding, ommatidia distinct. Ocelli small, but median ocellus slightly larger than lateral ocelli. Antennal tubercles simple, mostly smooth, contiguous. Antennal scrobe broadly concave to eye margin, with prominent complete flangelike transverse carina above. Clypeus with widely separated anterolateral teeth and sub-apical transverse furrow filled with dense anteriorly directed pale brown setae. Malar space about half basal height of mandible. Gena ecarinate. Hypostomal carina distinct but weak, even, ending laterally at posterior mandibular condyle. Scape strongly bicarinate anteriorly. Pedicel about as long as wide, shorter than first flagellomere, which is subequal in legth to second flagellomere. Mandible tapering, tridentate apically with innermost tooth large and blunt, unarmed ventrally. Maxillary palp 6-segmented; labial palp 4-segmented; intermediate palpomeres slightly flattened and expanded apicad. Mentum smooth, with distinct median longitudinal carina. Mesosoma. Surface shiny, densely reticulate except smooth on anterior face of pronotum, micropunctate on anteroventral corner of mesopleuron, metapleuron, and lateral face of propodeum near the metapleural-propodeal suture; clothed with simple decumbent and erect setae, lanceolate on mesoscutum. Pronotal dorsal face (excluding anterior collar/flange) with anterior margin almost straight, ecarinate medially, humeral carina well developed ending in conspicuous angulate epaulet, humeral angle sharp. Posterodorsal margin of pronotum broadly concave. Tegula ovate, evenly convex, almost entirely smooth and glabrous. Mesoscutum without notaulus, parapsis indistinguishable; posterolateral corner forming a projection continuous with axilla. Scutellum lower than mesoscutum, coarsely reticulate, triangular, anteromedially produced with sides raised towards the inner margin of the axillar projections. Axilla laterally produced as a prominent posteriorly projecting blunt tooth, posterior face with dense microsetae. Metanotum narrower medially, with sublateral transverse pits obscured by a dense row of small setae on its posterior margin. Dorsal and posteriorl propodeal faces indistinctly rounded into one another, propodeum weakly swollen anterolaterally. Metasternal process unidentate, blunt. Wings. Forewing with moderate ovate sclerotized pterostigma; marginal cell truncate apically; three closed submarginal cells, apical veins of third cell weak. Legs. Tibial spur formula 1-2-2. Mid- and hind tibiae each with a few spines and several strong slender semi-erect macrosetae dorsally, apical spines inserted on short cylindrical process; subapically with small secretory pore near base of inner spur; apical spurs almost cylindrical, densely clothed with microsetae. Metacoxa with weak irregular longitudinal carina on inner/posterior margin. Metasoma. T1 petiolate, longer than wide, 0.5 × width of T2, posteriorly weakly constricted in dorsal view, anterior and dorsal faces rounded into each other, reticulate with finely simple erect setae; anterior auricle moderate, forming angulate oblique flattened lobe. T2 punctate, with simple erect setae; felt line narrow and long. T3–6 punctate, with simple erect and decumbent setae. T7 punctate with simple erect and decumbent setae basally, impunctate and shinning apically. Sterna punctate with simple erect and decumbent setae. S1 with weak longitudinal slightly concave carina. S2 swollen medially, with a distinct medial pit bearing a small tuft of pale setae, without felt line. Hypopygium elongated, lateral margins converging to apex, convex, with median lobe or tooth on posterior margin. Genitalia. Paramere and/or cuspis lacking obviously plumose or brachyplumose setae. Paramere elongate, more or less cylindrical, acute, weakly dorsally curved apically. Parapenial lobe well developed. Cuspis lacking basal division or process, slightly expanded dorsally at base; digitus shorter than cuspis. Penis valve with apical setae, bidentate apicoventrally, teeth separated.

Species included. Type species only.

Distribution. Amazon region of Brazil and Bolivia.

Etymology. From the Latin frigus “cold” in reference to scattered silvery setae that give the insect a frosted appearance and in reference to the name of the type species, with a common suffix for mutillid genera. Gender feminine.

Remarks. Williams et al. (2011) provided extensive remarks regarding differences between female Tobantilla and Frigitilla gen. nov. (as Tobantilla frigidula ) in overall shape and structure of the pygidium, T1 and mesosoma, as well as differences in coloration and distribution. In addition to those differences, the females of Frigitilla have a conspicuously flattened and even somewhat concave T2 ( Fig. 3 ), whilst females of Tobantilla have the T2 evidently rounded and convex. The male of Frigitilla resembles that of Tobantilla and even Traumatomutilla André, 1901 in overall shape and coloration but can be easily separated from both genera by the conspicuously swollen S2 bearing a medial pit devoid of any setae ( Fig. 9 ). Genitalic structure of Frigitilla males can be differentiated from Tobantilla by the straight parameres and the presence of setae at the apex of the penis valve ( Fig. 16 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Frigitilla frigidula (Cresson), comb. nov., ♀. 1) habitus, dorsal view; 2) habitus, lateral view; 3) head, anterior view; 4) habitus, lateral view, with host cocoon (Trypoxylon nitidum Smith). Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 9. Frigitilla frigidula (Cresson), comb. nov., ♂. 5) habitus, dorsal view; 6) habitus, lateral view; 7) head, anterior view; 8) metasomal segment 2, lateral view; 9) pit of S 2. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURES 14 – 17. Frigitilla frigidula (Cresson), comb. nov., ♂, genitalia. 14) dorsal view; 15) ventral view; 16) penis valve; 17) lateral view with penis valve removed.