Odontophotopsis dentifera, Species-Group

Pitts, James P., 2007, Revision of Odontophotopsis Viereck (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Part 1, with a description of a new Genus Laminatilla, Zootaxa 1619, pp. 1-43 : 8-9

2. Odontophotopsis dentifera Species-Group

( Figs. 4–12 )

Diagnosis. This species-group is easily recognized by the unique middle coxa that is armed with lamellate process along the internal margin ( Figs. 5, 7 ). Also, the mandible is tridentate and deeply excised, the metasternum is bidentate, the metasoma is subsessile, and the pygidium is granulate and distinctly defined laterally.

Male. Coloration and setal pattern. Body testaceous; antenna slightly paler, stramineous; head, mesosoma and metasoma uniform in color throughout, except ocellar area sometimes dark; tibial spurs and legs concolorous with body; body clothed with sparse, erect, decumbent, pale setae, only few plumose setae on mesosoma; T1 without plumose fringe at distal margin; T2 and S2 with thick fringe of pale plumose setae; T3- T5 and S3-S5 each with thinner, less conspicuous fringe of pale plumose setae; setae of terminal segment tinged with yellow.

Head. Rounded posteriorly. Mandible excised ventrally, angle of excision rounded ( Fig. 6 ) to angulate ( Fig. 4, 8 ); dorsal carina strong, medially lamelliform, terminating at strong inner tooth; subdistal inner tooth weak; mandible slightly dilated beyond excision. Clypeus depressed below margin of mandibles, median area concave; lateral angle tuberculate; surface of clypeus polished, almost impunctate, with only few erect setae; scape with single carina ventrally. F1 ~0.75X length of F2. Front, vertex, and gena with sparse, shallow, close punctures, immediately posterior to antennal insertion, becoming separated and sparse on vertex and gena; ocellar area dark; ocelli moderate in size, ocellocular distance 1.5–2.4X greatest width of lateral ocellus.

Mesosoma. Sides and dorsum of pronotum coarsely punctate, dorsum with moderate, confluent, deep punctures, sides with somewhat larger, shallower punctures; mesonotum with moderate, contiguous, shallow punctures; notaulus weak, obsolete on anterior 0.33 of mesonotum; scutellum coarsely, confluently punctate; dorsum and posterior face of propodeum conspicuously, shallow reticulate, reticulations extending to sides of propodeum, but becoming coarse, punctate-reticulate; metapleuron with moderate, close punctures on ventral 0.33, polished and impunctate on dorsal 0.66; anterolateral area of mesopleuron with moderate, shallow, separated punctures; remainder of mesopleuron with deeper, contiguous to confluent punctures; mesosternal processes small, triangular, acute or bidentate apically, separated by distance 3X their height; surface of mesosternum with shallow, depressed groove along midline, otherwise with moderate, close punctures. Inner 0.5X of posterior margin of middle coxa bearing conspicuous, erect, lamellate, subhyaline, subrectangular process ( Figs. 5, 7 ). Metasternum bidentate. Marginal cell on costa from 0.66X–1.5X length of stigma.

Metasoma. First metasomal segment subnodose, approximately as long as middle femur; T1 closely punctured at sides, almost impunctate medially; T2 polished, with fine, scattered punctures throughout; T3-5 weakly punctured, punctures most obvious at anterior and posterior margins; pygidium elongate ovate, 2X as long as wide, punctate-granulate, strongly margined; second sternum with small, shallow, well separated punctures, felt line 0.33X length of tergal felt line; S3-5 very weakly punctured. Hypopygium with close, moderate punctures.

Remarks. This species-group is the same as defined by Schuster (1958) with the addition of O. denticoxa Mickel (Mickel and Clausen 1983) and the species described as new here. The species in this group are small in size and the processes on the mesocoxae are sometimes difficult to observe making identification difficult.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Odontophotopsis cockerelli: Fig. 1. hind leg trochanter; Fig. 2. genitalia, lateral view, penal valve removed; Fig. 3. penal valve lateral view. Odontophotopsis denticoxa: Fig. 4. mandible; Fig. 5. middle coxa. Odontophotopsis dentifera: Fig. 6. mandible; Fig. 7. middle coxa; Fig. 9 genitalia, dorsal view; Fig. 10. cuspis, lateral view, dorsum to left. Odontophotopsis polis: Fig. 8. mandible; Fig. 11. genitalia, dorsal view; Fig. 12. lateral view, penal valve removed.