Dasymutilla monstrosa Manley & Pitts, 2007

MANLEY, DONALD G. & PITTS, JAMES P., 2007, Tropical and Subtropical Velvet Ants of the Genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with Descriptions of 45 New Species, Zootaxa 1487 (1), pp. 1-128 : 72-73

Dasymutilla monstrosa Manley & Pitts , new species

Holotype female, Mexico, Sinaloa, 8 mi. S. Elota, VII-2-1968, F. D. Parker and L. A. Stange [ UCDC].

Diagnosis of Female (Plate C6M). This species is easily diagnosed based on its color pattern. It has the integument reddish and is clothed with pale yellow and black setae, forming a distinct pattern on the mesosoma and metasoma. Also, the head is quadrate and distinctly narrower than the mesosoma. The antennal scrobe is carinate dorsally, but a genal carina is absent. The mesosoma is longer than broad, and lacks a scutellar scale. Sternum II is scabrous at the sides and apex. The pygidium is rugose.

Description. Female: Length, 9–15 mm. Head. Reddish, clothed entirely with dense recumbent, and scattered long erect yellow setae; mandible acute at apex, with inconspicuous inner tooth about 0.25X distance from apex; clypeus bidentate, emarginate in center of anterior margin, but concealed by long yellow setae; scape strongly carinate, clothed with short sparse yellow setae; flagellomere I long, about length of II and III united, remaining flagellomeres subequal in length; antennal scrobe distinctly carinate; front and vertex coarsely punctate, but with dense yellow setae concealing sculpture; gena coarsely punctate, ecarinate, although appearing to be carinate at certain angles in some specimens due to coarse sculpture, and concealed with dense appressed yellow setae; head width 2.2–3.5 mm; relative width of head to mesosoma about 0.8:1.

Mesosoma. Reddish, longer than broad (2.4–4.0 mm wide X 2.8–4.1 mm long); scutellar scale absent; anterior margin of mesosoma evenly transverse, not emarginate medially; pattern of black setae ranging from hourglass-shaped to two distinct black spots separated by yellow setae; propodeum with large contiguous punctures, remainder of sculpture concealed by dense setae; pleura with white setae.

Legs reddish, clothed with white setae, except apices of femora with black setae.

Metasoma. Reddish, except last segment black; tergum I smooth and shining with sparse shallow separated punctures; tergum II with coarse contiguous punctures; remainder of dorsal sculpture concealed by dense setae; pygidium rugose; sternum I lacking median carina; sternum II scabrous at sides and apex, lacking punctures; tergum I with long erect yellow setae and apical fringe of yellow setae interrupted narrowly medially with black; tergum II with arrow-shaped area of dense black setae anteriorly bounded by dense yellow setae; tergum II also with quadrate area of dense yellow setae medially bounded by sparse erect black setae laterally, and broad apical fringe black with yellow laterally; tergum III with black setae bounded by yellow laterally; terga IV to V entirely with yellow setae; remainder of dorsum with black setae; sternum entirely with yellow setae, except last sternite black.

Male. Unknown.

Paratypes. 7♀ ( CASC), MEXICO, Jalisco, 12 mi. NW Tequila, XI-22-48, E. S. Ross; Nayarit, 5 mi. S. Rio Santiago Ferry, XI-27-48, H. B. Leech; Sonora, Alamos, VII-30-40, R. P. Allen (3♀); Zacatecas, San Juan Capistrano, 22° 38' N 105° 05' W, IX-11-84, W. J. Pulawski; 22° 40' N 104° 03' W, IX-7-84, W. J. Pulawski. 9♀ ( DGMC), MEXICO, Colima, Cuyutlan, VII-29-63, A.R. Gillogly (2♀); Manzanilla, V-16-76, J. A. Dyer; Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta, III-10-83, J. R. Vockeroth; 20 mi. S. El Tuito, VII-13/19-93, J. Huether; Nayarit, 2 mi. SW Rosa Morado, VI-22-54, A. A. Alcorn; Sinoloa, 20 mi. S. Villa Union, VIII-19-64, E. I. Schlinger; 26 mi E. Villa Union, R. B. Loomis and J. Maris; Sonora, Alamos, III-14-76, T. B. Schowalter. 9♀ ( CISC), MEX- ICO, Nayarit, Jesus Maria, VII-6-55, B. Malkin (6♀); Arroyo Santiago, nr. Jesus Maria, VII-5-55, B. Malkin (3♀). 12♀ ( UCDC), MEXICO, Chihuahua, 5 mi. SE Temoris, VIII-25-69, T. A. Sears, R. C. Gardner, C. S. Glaser; Jalisco, Plan de Barrancas, III-24-62, L. A. Stange; Plan de Barrancas, III-24-62, F. D. Parker (2♀); Sinaloa, Choix, VII-24-69, T. A. Sears, R. C. Gardner, C. S. Glaser; 1 mi. N. Choix, VII-29-68, T. A. Sears, R. C. Gardner, C. S. Glaser; 6 mi. SW Choix, VII-23-69, T. A. Sears, R. C. Gardner, C. S. Glaser; 9 mi. E. Chupaderos, III-19-62, F. D. Parker; 9 mi. E. Chupaderos, III-19-62, L. A. Stange; 8 mi. S. Elota, VII-2-63, F. D. Parker and L. A. Stange; Sonora, Aduana, III-15-62, F. D. Parker; Alamos, IX-5-70, R.M. Bohart. 2♀ ( EMUS), MEXICO, Nayarit, San Blas, III-11-72, F. Parker and D. Miller (2♀).

Distribution. Mexico (Chiapas, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Sonora, Zacatecas).

Etymology. From the Latin meaning “monstrous.”

Remarks. This species is known only from the female. It keys easily after the second couplet. The mesosoma is only slightly longer than broad. Sternum II is scabrous at the sides and apex, a character shared only with D. eminentia and D. scaber . It is distinguished from them not only by the longer mesosoma, but also by having black setae on the mesosoma both anteriorly and posteriorly. This species is widely distributed along the western mainland of Mexico.