Odontophotopsis delodonta Viereck, 1904

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 : 339-340

Odontophotopsis delodonta Viereck, 1904

Odontophotopsis delodonta Viereck, 1904 . Amer. Ent. Soc., Trans. 30: 91. ♂. Holotype data: Arizona ( UMSP).

Odontophotopsis (Odontophotopsis) ambigua Mickel, 1983 , in Mickel & Clausen, 1983. Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 76: 539–541. ♂. Holotype data: California, Riverside County, Palm Springs, 8.May.1932, T. Zschokke (UMSP). New Synonymy.

Diagnosis of male. This species has a head that is rounded posteriorly, deeply excised mandibles that are parallel or undilated apically, lacks a tubercle situated posteromedially on the clypeus, has a pair of denticulate mesosternal processes that are small and indistinct, the integument is orange even beneath the felt lines, and has a shiny glabrous pygidium.

Additions to Viereck’s description of male. Integument orangish. Mandible excised beneath, ~0.6 × basal width, not dilated apically. Clypeal base not tuberculate, convex. Apical margin slightly emarginated. Antenna stramineous. Ocellular area slightly infuscated. OOD ~1.5 and IOD ~1.25 lateral ocellus. Legs stramineous. Mesopleura anteriorly glabrous with few large punctures, with few plumose setae. Mesosternal processes single pair, small, indistinct, approximate. Dense plumose setae posterior to processes. MC slightly longer than stigma, ~1.2 × stigma. MC rounded apically. T1 shallow punctures laterally, glabrous medially, with plumose fringe. T2– T6 with plumose fringes. Pygidium weakly granulate with apical fringe of setae. S2 slightly tumid mediobasally. Hypopygidium punctate throughout, rounded apically.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype data: Arizona ( UMSP) . Holotype data: California, Riverside County, Palm Springs , 8.May.1932, T. Zschokke ( UMSP) . JTNP: 18–21.Jul.2012: 1 ♂ N3; 1 ♂ T; 1 ♂ S1; 5 ♂ S3; 1 ♂ S9; 1 ♂ S11. 26–28.Aug.2012: 1 ♂ N7; 4 ♂ S1; 1 ♂ S3; 4 ♂ S5; 45 ♂ S7; 36 ♂ S9; 8 ♂ S11; 3 ♂ S13; 1 ♂ S18. 22– 24.Sep.2012: 1 ♂ N7; 1 ♂ S1; 1 ♂ S3; 4 ♂ S5; 7 ♂ S7; 11 ♂ S9; 9 ♂ S11; 14 ♂ S13.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, and Nevada).

Activity. This species is seemingly active throughout the season at JTNP.

Remarks. Viereck’s original description stated that the antennae and legs were pale testaceous. The holotype, however, has the legs and antennae stramineous. Study of the holotype and paratypes of, as well as variation in, O. ambigua revealed that the characters Mickel (in Mickel & Clausen, 1983) used to separate O. delodonta and O. ambigua , namely presence or absence of an indistinct clypeal tubercle, are not significant. As such these species are considered conspecific here. This species is a member of the O. melicausa species-group.

Although this species is found in the Mojave Desert, this species seems to be more abundant in more southern areas of the Mojave Desert ( Table 2 & 3) and into the Sonoran Desert, as it was not found at the NTS (e.g. Ferguson 1967) or AMWR (e.g. Boehme et al. 2012).