Acanthophotopsis falciformis Schuster, 1958

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 : 333-334

Acanthophotopsis falciformis Schuster, 1958

Acanthophotopsis falciformis falciformis Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 108. ♂. Holotype data: California, Palm Springs (UMSP).

Acanthophotopsis falciformis furcisterna Schuster, 1958 . Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 111. ♂. Holotype data: Arizona, Tucson (UMSP). Synonymized by Tanner et al. (2009).

Diagnosis of male. This species can be distinguished from other Nearctic nocturnal mutillids by the presence of a fourth mandibular tooth, which is found along the internal margin and projects posteriorly over the apex of the clypeus (see Tanner et al. 2009: Fig. 6 ). This species also has the following unique combination of characters: the dorsal carina of the mandible extends from the base of the mandible to the innermost tooth; the base of the clypeus is slightly raised, although neither carinate nor tuberculate and not horizontally produced; the frons is coarsely punctate, while the vertex moderately punctate; the length of the first flagellomere is 2 × its width; the head is strongly convergent posterior to the eyes; the length of the stigma is slightly shorter (~0.8 ×) than the length of the marginal cell measured along the costa; the mesosternum has large conical processes; and the paramere, in lateral view, is equally broad throughout its length except for the apex, which narrows to an acute angle; and the paramere is as broad as the cuspis medially (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 1 ).

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. Acanthophotopsis falciformis falciformis Holotype data : California, Palm Springs, fall 1932, T. Zschokke ( UMSP). Acanthophotopsis falciformis furcisterna Holotype data : Arizona, Tucson , 5 October 1935, O. Bryant ( UMSP) . JTNP: 18–21.Jul.2012: 1 ♂ S13; 1 ♂ S18. 26–28.Aug.2012: 1 ♂ T. 22–24.Sep.2012: 1 ♂ T; 3 ♂ S1; 5 ♂ S5; 2 ♂ S7; 14 ♂ S9; 3 ♂ S11; 2 ♂ S13; 1 ♂ S18.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, and Nevada) and northern Mexico (Sonora).

Activity. This species seems to be active later in the season at JTNP.

Remarks. Pitts et al. (2009) illustrated the genitalia of this species and Tanner et al. (2009) reviewed the species in this genus and synonymized Schuster's (1958) two subspecies.

Although this species is found in the Mojave Desert (e.g. Allred 1973; Boehme et al. 2012), this species seems to be more abundant south of the transition zone and into the Sonoran Desert ( Table 2 & 3; e.g. Pitts et al. 2009, 2010a).

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 8. Odontophotopsis odontoloxia, sp. nov., 5. habitus; 6. head, frontal view; 7. mesosternum; and 8. pygidium.

FIGURES 1 – 4. Odontophotopsis dalyi, sp. nov., 1. habitus; 2. head, frontal view; 3. mesosternum; and 4. pygidium.