Mutilla Linnaeus, 1758

Williams, Kevin A., Lelej, Arkady S., Okayasu, Juriya, Borkent, Christopher J., Malee, Rufeah, Thoawan, Kodeeyah & Thaochan, Narit, 2019, The female velvet ants (aka modkhong) of southern Thailand (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), with a key to the genera of southeast Asia, Zootaxa 4602 (1), pp. 1-69 : 31

Genus 21. Mutilla Linnaeus, 1758

Diagnosis. FEMALE. In the Oriental and eastern Palaearctic regions, this genus is unique in having the mesosomal sides parallel, T1 broad, and the T2 disc with uniform black setae. Other diagnostic features include: mandible unarmed ventrally, head usually broader than mesosoma, mesosomal width equal to or narrower than pronotum in dorsal view, and T6 lacking defined pygidial plate. MALE. In the Oriental region, males can be separated from other Mutillinae by having the mandible unarmed ventrally, the clypeus with a medial projection, the tegula elongate, the mesoscutellum unarmed, T1 broad, S7 tuberculate or carinate, and the paramere with a ventral brush of long setae.

Diversity and Distribution. Over 60 species are currently placed in the genus Mutilla , mostly from the Afrotropical and Palaearctic regions ( Bischoff 1920, Lelej 2002). No females have been found in the southern Oriental region; M. harmandi André, 1898 is the only male found in Thailand.

Remarks. Females of Mutilla are included in the key to genera above, even though the only southeast Asian species, M. harmandi is known from males only. Because Mutilla are generally large and conspicuous insects, it seems likely that M. harmandi might be eventually associated with a female from a different genus, and subsequently transferred out of Mutilla .