Traumatomutilla geographica ( Gerstaecker, 1874 )

Bartholomay, Pedro R., Williams, Kevin A., Cambra, Roberto A. & Oliveira, Marcio L., 2022, Revision of the Traumatomutilla indica species-group (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Zootaxa 5108 (1), pp. 1-97 : 27-29

Traumatomutilla geographica ( Gerstaecker, 1874)

( Figs 7A–F )

Mutilla parallela var.: Gerstaecker 1874: 75, ♀, part.

Mutilla geographica Gerstaecker, 1874: 302 , holotype, ♀, Brazil (ZMB), examined.

Ephuta (Traumatomutilla) geographica: André, 1902: 55 .

Traumatomutilla geographica: André, 1904: 40 .

Traumatomutilla seabrai Casal, 1969: 283 , holotype, ♀, Brazil, Goiás, Aragarças (AMNH), type examined, syn. nov.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Mesonotum narrower than distance between pronotal spiracles, lateral face of propodeum not evenly sculptured throughout, meso and metatibial spurs black, integumental spots of linear and yellowish, posterior pair confluent or nearly so. MALE unknown.

Description. FEMALE. Body length 16 mm. Head. Posterior margin virtually straight. Occipital carina evenly equally wide throughout. Vertex width 0.75 × pronotal width. Eye almost circular, its length in frontal view virtually equal to the distance from its ventral margin to mandibular condyle. Front, vertex, and gena densely and coarsely foveolate punctate with indistinct scabrous intervals on front. Genal carina present. Mandible oblique, tapering slightly towards apex, with small subapical tooth, unarmed ventrally. Dorsal scrobal carina well-defined, reaching antennal tubercles and lateral scrobal carinae. Antennal tubercles irregularly rugose. Flagellomere 1 1.8 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 1.5 × pedicel length. Mesosoma . Dorsal thoracic length 0.85 × mesosomal width. Mesosomal dorsum densely and coarsely areolate-punctate. Anterior face of pronotum defined slightly longer than pronotal collar, with dense indistinct and coarse longitudinal striations ventrad, coarsely and densely punctate dorsad; dorsal face rounded into anterior face in lateral view. Humeral carina well-defined, separated from projected subangulate epaulet; antero-lateral corners of pronotum subangulate in dorsal view. Pronotal spiracle slightly projected from lateral margin of pronotum. Lateral face of pronotum densely and finely punctate with dense interspersed micropunctures, except for mostly unsculptured indistinct swelling anteroventral in relation to pronotal spiracle; mesopleuron sculpture mostly concealed by dense setation, micropunctate anteriorly and sparsely foveolate-punctate along mesopleural ridge where visible; metapleuron sculpture concealed by dense setation on ventral half, completely asetose, smooth on dorsal half. Lateral face of propodeum sparsely foveolate-punctate with unsculptured smooth intervals; intervals overall wider than surrounding sculpture. Ratios of width of humeral angles, pronotal spiracles, widest point of mesonotum, narrowest point of mesonotum and propodeum posterior to propodeal spiracles, 81:97:98:72:71. Lateral margin of mesonotum constricted anterior to propodeal spiracle, diverging anteriad, mesonotum with expanded lateral margins. Propodeal spiracle projected from lateral margin of mesosoma; postspiracular area absent. Scutellar scale and anterolateral carinae virtually absent; scabrous intervals absent on scutellar area. Propodeum gibbose, dorsal face shorter than and rounded into posterior face. Metasoma. Ratios of width of T1, width of T2 and length of T2, 39:83:90. Disc of T2 densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate to punctate with dense interspersed micropunctures; foveolations sparser and micropunctures absent laterally and over integumental spots. T3–6 sculpture predominantly concealed by dense setation, densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate to simply punctate with interspersed micropunctures where visible. S1 surface cuneiform, densely, coarsely and confusedly foveolate-punctate around blunt longitudinal medial carina slightly higher anteriorly. S2 densely foveolate-punctate, sparser poderomediad; anteromedial crest-fold indistinct. S3–5 sculpture mostly concealed by dense setation, densely and finely foveolate-punctate with sparse interspersed micropunctures where visible; S6 densely foveolate-punctate. Pygidial plate subpyriform, defined by lateral carinae at apical third of plate; surface with transverse coarse and irregular rugosities; interstice granulose. MALE. Unkown.

Coloration and variations. FEMALE. Integument black, except antennal flagellomeres and mandibles partially reddish-brown, and T2 with four narrow linear yellow integumental spots; posterior pair variable, narrowly interrupted to broadly connected medially, thus forming single transverse line. Body setae predominantly black varying in density except the following areas with silvery-white setae varying in density: ventral third of lateral pronotal face, posteroventral half of mesopleuron, ventral half of metapleuron; posterior half of pronotum sublaterally, mesonotum sublaterally, dorsum of propodeum laterally; coxae and ventral surface of femora; T1 laterally, lateral margins of T2, fringe of T2–4 medially and laterally, fringe of T5 laterally, T6 (except pygidial plate) medially, S1–4, and fringe of S2–3. Tibial spurs black.

Distribution. Brazil.

Material examined. (42 ♀) Type material. Holotype of Traumatomutilla geographica , ♀, BRAZIL, v. Olf- ers. ( ZMB) ; holotype of T. seabrai , ♀, BRAZIL, Goiás, Aragarças , 06.I.1955, F.M. Oliveira ( AMNH) . Additional material. BRAZIL: 1♀, A.M. Parko, 13.248 [sic], 10/951 [sic] ( MNRJ) ; Mato Grosso: Diamantino, Alto Rio Arinos , 1♀, X.1983 ( MNRJ) ; Chavantina , Rio das Mortes, 1♀, XI.1946 ( MNRJ) ; Rio Verde , BR-29, 1♀, XI.1960, M. Alvarenga ( MPEG) ; Rosario Oeste , 8#f ( MZSP) ; Utiariti, Rio Papagaios , 1♀, 1–12.XI.1966, Lenko & Pereira ( MNCN) ; Goiás: 8♀ ( MZSP) ; Jataí, Faz. [Fazenda] Aceiro , 1#f, X.1962, Exp. Dep. Zool. [Expedição Departa- mento de Zoologia] ( MNCN) ; Campinas , 1♀, XII.1936 ( MNRJ) ; Serra da Mesa, 13°52’S 48°23’O, Campinaçu : 1♀, 18.II–02.III.1996, Silvestre, Brandão & Yamamoto ( MZSP) ; 1♀, 01.III.1996, Silvestre, Brandão & Yamamoto ( MZSP) ; Viannopolis , 1♀, XI.1931, R. Spitz ( MNCN) ; Minas Gerais: 8♀ ( MZSP) ; Serra Cabral , 1♀, 1912, E. Garbo ( MZSP) ; Aguas Vermelhas , 1♀, XII.1983 ( MNRJ) ; Lassance , 1♀, 20–31.I.1939, Martins, Lopes & Manga- beira ( MNCN) ; Pirapora , 1♀, 11–13.XI.1919, R.G. Harris ( CUIC) ; São Paulo, Parque Est. [Estadual] [now, Área de Relevante Interesse Ecológico] Pé de Gigante , 1♀, 14.VII.1997, J.M. Carpenter ( AMNH) ; Paraná, Jaguariahyva [Jaguariaíva], 1♀, I.1942, Justus ( DZUP) .

Remarks. The types of T. geographica and T. seabrai are structurally identical, differing only in the posterior spots of T2, which are confluent in T. seabrai and narrowly separated in T. geographica . No other color variations were observed in the specimens examined. This species is part of a color syndrome occurring in the Brazilian Cerrado and Caatinga that involves numerous species, such as T. unimarginata , T. parallela (= T. lineifera ), T. mundula , T. rectilineata ( André, 1898) , T. ipanema ( Cresson, 1902) , T. solemnis ( Cresson, 1902) , and T. pereirai Suárez, 1960 . Although T. geographica has black meso- and metatibial spurs, which facilitated other sex associations in this group, this character can also vary intraspecifically. One series of males collected in Chapada dos Veadeiros, Goiás, Brazil have the apex of the meso and metatibial spurs “blackish” and are from the same overall area that T. geographica is known to occur. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen enough distribution data to justify a sex association at this point.

Figures

FIGURES 7A–F. A–C. Traumatomutilla geographica (Gerstaecker, 1874), holotype, ♀, line 2 mm; A. Dorsal habitus; B. Lateral habitus; C. Type labels; D–F. T. seabrai Casal, 1969, holotype, ♀, line 2 mm; D. Dorsal habitus; C. Lateral habitus; F. Type labels.