Odontomutilla pulchrina ( Smith, 1855 )

Lelej, Arkady S., Terine, Joshua B., Kumar, Girish P., Das, Dipanwita & Sureshan, Pavittu M., 2020, Review of the genus Odontomutilla Ashmead, 1899 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of the Indian subcontinent, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4822 (2), pp. 191-208 : 198

9. Odontomutilla pulchrina ( Smith, 1855)

( Figs 14–18 )

Mutilla pulchrina Smith, 1855: 34 , ♀, type locality, Madras [ India: Tamil Nadu], syntypes in BMNH; Cameron 1897: 59. Mutilla pulcherina (!): Cameron 1892: 121, 136, ♀ (re-description of female and relation with M. aurifex ).

Odontomutilla pulchrina: André 1902: 29 , ♀; Lelej 2005: 116, ♀.

Diagnosis. FEMALE (see Smith 1855 and Cameron 1892). Head ferruginous. T1 medially with spot of pale setae. T 2 in basal half with wide transverse band of pale setae. F1 1.5 × F2 length. T3 and T4 with band of golden setae narrowly interrupted medially. Posterior margin of wide band of golden setae at the base of T2 medially rounded. MALE. Head ferruginous. T 2 in basal two thirds with wide band of golden setae. Mesoscutellum posterad and metapostnotum medially with short (less than mesoscutellum length) sparse golden setae oriented upward.

Material examined. India: Tamil Nadu, 2 ♂, Anamalai, Topslip , 2500 ft., V.1977, T.R.S. Nathan leg. // Odontomutilla pulchrina (Smith) , B. Petersen det., 1980 [ IBSS] .

Distribution. India: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka ( Fig. 36 ).

Remark. In the original description Smith (1855) wrote about varieties β and γ which have “the anterior band [on T2] and also the basal spot [on T1] obsolete”. Bingham (1897) regarded the extreme reduction or lack of golden setae at the base of T2 as a diagnostic character for O. pulchrina . This is contradictory to the original description since it only occurs in two variants of this species, the most common form having a well defined area of golden setae at the base of T2. There are two species of Odontomutilla in the Indian subcontinent with females having an immaculate T2 ( O. trichocondyla and O. fletcheri ) which are quite distinct from O. pulchrina besides pale design of T2 by F1 length 1.1 × A2 (F1 length 1.5 × A 2 in O. fletcheri ).

Figures

FIGURE 36. Distribution map of the Indian subcontinent species of Odontomutilla Ashmead.

FIGURES 14–18. Odontomutilla pulchrina (Smith), ♂. 14. Habitus, dorsal view. 15. Habitus, lateral view. 16. Face view. 17, 18. Genitalia (17—ventral view, 18—dorsal view).