Gogoltilla chichikovi Williams, Brothers & Pitts

Williams, Kevin A., Brothers, Denis J. & Pitts, James P., 2011, New species of Tobantilla Casal, 1965 and a new genus and species, Gogoltilla chichikovi gen. et sp. nov., from Argentina (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Zootaxa 3064, pp. 41-68 : 62-64

Gogoltilla chichikovi Williams, Brothers & Pitts , sp. nov.

( Figs 40–48 )

Description. MALE. Body length 6.6 mm. Coloration. Head and mesosoma reddish-black to black, except posterior fifth of mesopleuron, metapleuron and propodeum reddish-brown ( Fig. 41, 43 ). Legs, mandibles and tegulae yellowish-brown; antennae dark brown. Metasoma reddish-brown, T2 weakly infuscated near posterior margin on each side and along felt line. Tibial spurs white. Forewing hyaline between veins, apical third infuscated, veins brown; hind wing hyaline. Body clothed with whitish setae, except clypeus with brownish setae, posterior two thirds of mesonotum, axillae and anterior third of scutellum, posterior third of disc of T2 and T5–7 with blackish setae, S6 and S8 with reddish-brown setae. Head. Rounded subquadrate, face strongly concave, posterolateral angles rounded. Head width 1.2 × pronotal width. Eye transversely ovate; in dorsal view eye diameter 3.0 × distance from posterior eye margin to posterolateral angle of head. Ocelli small; ocellocular distance 5.0 × length of lateral ocellus, interocellar distance 3.1 × lateral ocellus length. Occipital carina weak but distinct, extending ventrally almost to level of oral fossa. Punctation on front obscured by dense shaggy recumbent setae; gena and vertex moderately punctate. Gena ecarinate. Antennal scrobe broadly concave to eye margin, with prominent complete flangelike transverse carina above. Clypeus strongly concave, smooth and shining, ventral margin produced as a rounded elevation on each side bearing dense erect setae. Oral fossa very large, hypostomal bridge much reduced.

Scape bicarinate ventrally on apical half. Flagellomere 1 1.7 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 2.3 × pedicel length. Mandible strongly dilated on about middle third where dorsal carina lamellate and broadly bilobate dorsally; apical tooth long, subapical tooth small; ventral carina on outer surface unarmed and gradually becoming obsolete anteriorly; ventral carina on inner surface expanded as an obliquely triangular lamellate tooth along inner margin near base. Maxilla and labium elongate. Maxillary palp 6-segmented, third segment slightly flattened and apically expanded, other segments almost cylindrical. Labial palp 4-segmented, second and third segments slightly flattened and apically expanded, other segments almost cylindrical. Glossa produced as a narrow tongue about half length of labial palp. Mesosoma. Epaulets weakly produced. Pronotal dorsal punctation coarsely contiguous but obscured by dense shaggy recumbent mesally directed setae; anterior face almost smooth; lateral face moderately punctate above but almost smooth ventrally. Tegula convex, almost hemispherical, glabrous except with long recumbent setae anterolaterally and posteromesally. Mesonotal punctation coarsely contiguous, obscured on anterior third by dense shaggy recumbent posteriorly directed setae; flattened slender lanceolate setae on posterior twothirds; notaulus broad and deep posteriorly, becoming narrower and evanescent anteriorly; parapsis short and almost indistinguishable; posterolateral corner forming a deeply punctate raised lobe. Scutellum slightly convex, punctation coarse and contiguous, obscured by dense shaggy recumbent setae on posterior two-thirds. Axilla produced posterolaterally as a toothlike flange, coarsely contiguously punctate but smooth posterolaterally, posteriorly truncate; anterolateral axillar margin and posterolateral mesonotal lobe separated by strong incision. Metanotum surface obscured by dense shaggy mesally facing recumbent setae. Propodeum strongly convex, entirely coarsely and deeply reticulate except smooth and shining adjacent to metapleuron. Mesopleural punctation coarsely contiguous dorsally becoming finer posteroventrally, mainly obscured by dense shaggy recumbent setae. Metapleuron smooth and shining, glabrous except at dorsal and ventral extremities. Wings. Forewing with moderate elongate sclerotized pterostigma; marginal cell broadly rounded and truncate apically; two submarginal cells. Legs. Mid- and hind tibiae each with a few strong spines dorsally, distinct apical secretory pore on inner surface near base of inner spur; spurs finely serrate on margins. Metasoma. T1 weakly campanulate, gradually broadened from base, not constricted apically although weakly discontinuous with T2, 0.5 × width of T2, sparsely and finely punctate; apex with weak obtusely triangular band of mesally directed recumbent setae. T2 with coarse to moderate punctures, interspaces smooth and narrower than punctures; apex obscured by dense fringe of mesally directed recumbent setae; felt line 0.6 × lateral length of T2. T3–4 densely and finely punctate, covered with moderately dense mesally directed recumbent setae. T5–6 moderately and finely punctate, covered with less dense recumbent and erect setae. Pygidium broadly oval, margined laterally and posteriorly by a strong sharp carina, apical margin shallowly emarginate; surface shallowly concave, densely and very finely punctate, covered with dense very fine erect setae. S1 almost entirely smooth, surfaces defined by blunt Y-shaped ridge. S2 sparsely punctate, medially flattened, surface smooth and shining. S3–6 moderately and finely punctate, with fairly sparse erect and recumbent setae. S7 entirely concealed. Hypopygium smooth, moderately and finely punctate, posteromedial margin produced as a narrowly rounded tooth. Genitalia ( Figs 44–47 ). Free length of paramere dorsoventrally flattened, initially downcurved but with apex strongly recurved upwards and directed anteriorly, with long ventrolateral fringe of long dense erect setae at about midlength, shorter dorsomesal brush of short dense recumbent setae near apical curvature, remainder with scattered short to long setae. Cuspis deeply divided near base; basal (dorsal) lobe finger-like, almost as long as apex of penis valve, setose; ventral lobe elongate, triangular in cross section, strongly narrowed at about half length, ~0.6 × free-length of paramere, apex with ventral flattened tuft of dense long brachyplumose setae. Digitus elongate and curved, slightly flattened, weakly broadened and spatulate apically, asetose, ~0.3 × free-length of paramere. Parapenial lobe well developed, apically narrow and digitiform, obliquely flattened. Penis valve asetose, ventral margin bidentate apically, teeth separated; anterodorsal area angulate and sharply raised.

FEMALE. Body length 3.7–5.8 mm. Coloration. Entire body and appendages pale brown except T2 with one pair of indefinite large yellow ovate to triangular integumental spots on posterior half, spots mesally approximated but not fused. Mid- and hind tibial spurs whitish. Head and mesosoma sparsely clothed with stout decumbent silvery or pale golden setae dorsally, decumbent setae finer on gena and very fine on mesosomal pleura, sparse long erect simple pale setae specially on mesosomal margins. T1 with posterior fringe of laterally flattened narrowly lanceolate orange-brown setae, anteriorly with a patch of long erect simple pale setae, a transverse row of long erect pale setae just anterior to fringe. T2 densely clothed with thickened striated blunt golden setae in a broad basal triangle produced posteriorly as a narrow band between pale integumental spots, some setae in a small patch at anterior base of triangle darker reddish-brown (sometimes extending almost to mid-length of tergum); elsewhere with sparse simpler setae, silvery on lateral surface and golden on pale spots; posteriorly with complete band of narrowly lanceolate reddish-brown setae; patch of dense silvery setae along margin posteroventral to felt line. T3 clothed with narrowly lanceolate orange-brown setae. T4–6 densely clothed with narrowly lanceolate golden setae (confined to small lateral patch on T6). S1–4 with sparse fine simple silvery setae, forming denser fringes posteriorly on S2–4. S5–6 with dense narrowly lanceolate golden setae (confined to minute lateral patch on S6). Head. Broadly transverse, posterior margin slightly concave with very weak triangular glabrous tubercle merging ventrolaterally with weak diagonal ridge on each side, occipital carina absent. Head width 1.1 × pronotal width. Eye circular, protruding, ommatidia distinct. Front, vertex and gena smooth and shining, moderately punctate, interspaces mainly wider than punctures, but punctation denser anteromesal to eye. Genal carina very weak, extending about half height of gena. Clypeus with complete almost straight setose transverse ridge above depressed transverse smooth almost glabrous area, ventral margin weakly emarginate. Mandible slender, tapering, bidentate apically (subapical tooth minute, distant from apex and usually obliterated through wear), unarmed ventrally. Antennal scrobe smooth dorsally, without carina. Antennal tubercle moderately punctate, with distinct smooth elevation anteromesally. Scape simple, moderately punctate. Flagellomere 1 1.5 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 1.2 × pedicel length. Maxilla and labium elongate. Maxillary palp 6-segmented, third segment slightly flattened and apically expanded, other segments almost cylindrical. Labial palp 4-segmented, second and third segments slightly flattened and apically expanded, other segments almost cylindrical. Glossa produced as a narrow tongue about half length of labial palp. Mesosoma. Mesosomal length 0.9 × width. Mesosomal dorsum finely shagreened, densely punctate on anterior half, more coarsely reticulate posteriorly. Humeral angle acutely protruding, vertical carina on dorsal third of pronotum lateral face moderate to strong, humeral carina weak and extending to epaulet. Meso- and metapleura shining, finely to micro-punctate, clothed with fine decumbent setae. Lateral face of propodeum smooth and shining dorsally with isolated fine setae, micropunctate and densely setose ventrally. In dorsal view, mesosoma broadened to anterior third, strongly narrowed at propodeal spiracle, propodeum short and abruptly broadened. Posterodorsal margin of pronotum faintly indicated by very weak ridge, specially medially. Scutellar scale small and indistinct, merging with weak carina separating dorsal and posterior propodeal faces. Posterior face of propodeum diagonal, weakly concave, very coarsely reticulate dorsally but almost smooth ventrally, separated from lateral face by weak lateral carina on dorsal half, with sparse fine erect setae but setae coarser and recumbent dorsally. Legs. Foreleg with a few long strong articulated spines on posterior/lateral margins of tarsomeres, one at midlength and two at apex of tarsomere 1, one at apex of tarsomere 2. Mid- and hind tibiae each with two rows of prominent spines, 4–6 spines in each row; apical spurs finely serrated laterally. Hind tibia with indistinct secretory pore on inner/posterior surface near base of inner spur. Metasoma. T1 fairly narrow and evenly expanded from base, weakly campanulate, not constricted apically, 0.5 × as wide as T2; anterodorsal face smooth but finely and densely punctate ventrally, posteriorly with band of dense small punctures. T2 with small longitudinally ovate contiguous punctures anteromesally (punctation there mostly concealed by dense setae), laterally more sparsely punctate, yellow spots very sparsely and finely punctate (interspaces about 3 × width of punctures), posterior margin densely and finely punctate; felt line broad, 0.4 × as long as T2 laterally. T3–5 densely punctate. Pygidium broad and flat, well defined by lateral flangelike carinae, posterior margin broadly convex, entirely densely and coarsely granulate. S1 coarsely reticulate, with weak simple median carina. S2 sparsely punctate. S3–5 indistinctly punctate. S6 densely and finely punctate.

Type material. Holotype, 3, ARGENTINA: Santiago del Estero, 50 km NE Santiago del Estero, 16.XII.1971, D.J. Brothers, 3 pursuing Ƥ on ground ( MACN). Paratypes, ARGENTINA: Santa Fe,1Ƥ, Laguna Pana, III.1972, Martinez ( AMNH); Santiago del Estero,13, Termas Rio Hondo, 20–21.II.1972, H.E. Evans (identified as? Tobantilla sp. by DJB in 1989, MCZC); 12 Ƥ, same data as holotype, 1Ƥ pursued by 3 on ground (6 DJBC, 3 EMUS, 3 MACN).

Distribution. This species is known from Santiago del Estero and Santa Fe Provinces in Argentina.

Host. Unknown. The specimens collected by DJB were on sandy soil. This, and the long spines and setae on the legs of the female, as well as its well developed pygidial plate, imply soil-dwelling hosts.

Etymology. This species is named after the fictional character Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, the protagonist of Мёртвые души “Dead Souls”, widely considered the greatest novel by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol. A noun in the genitive case.

Remarks. This species superficially resembles Tobantilla species in coloration and genitalic structure. It can immediately be distinguished in both sexes by the shape of T1; Tobantilla species have T1 narrowly petiolate (e.g. Figs 1–6 , 15–18 ), G. chichikovi has T1 subsessile with T2 ( Figs 40–43 ).

Figures

FIGURES 40 – 48. Gogoltilla chichikovi gen. et sp. nov. 40. Female, habitus, dorsal view; 41. Male holotype, habitus, dorsal view; 42. Female, habitus, lateral view; 43. Male holotype, habitus, lateral view; 44 - 47. Male genitalia: dorsal view (left), ventral view (middle left), lateral view with penis valve removed (middle right), and lateral view of penis valve (right); 48. Male mandible, lateral external view.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Tobantilla species, females, habitus, dorsal view. 1. T. aleatrix sp. nov.; holotype; 2. T. charrasca Casal; 3. T. frigidula (Cresson); 4. T. kolasma sp. nov., holotype; 5. T. krima sp. nov., holotype; 6. T. montonera Casal.

FIGURES 15 – 18. Tobantilla species, males, habitus, lateral view. 15. T. andrikos sp. nov., holotype; 16. T. drosos sp. nov., holotype; 17. T. ephemeros sp. nov.; 18. T. xouthos sp. nov., holotype.