Sphaeropthalma blakeii (Fox)

Pitts, James P., Wilson, Joseph S., Williams, Kevin A. & Boehme, Nicole F., 2010, Nocturnal velvet ant males (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Deep Canyon, California including four new species and a fifth new species from Owens Lake Valley, California, Zootaxa 2553, pp. 1-34 : 18-20

Sphaeropthalma blakeii (Fox)

Photopsis Blakeii Fox, 1893 . Calif. Acad. Sci., Proc. 4: 6. Male. Lectotype data: San Jose del Cabo, Baja California (ANSP).

Mutilla Gautschii Dalla Torre, 1897 . Cat. Hym. 50. N. name erroneously proposed for Photopsis Blakeii Fox, thought to be preoccupied by Cameron, 1894.

Mutilla ceyx Fox, 1899 . Amer. Ent. Soc., Trans. 25: 262. Male. Lectotype data: Calmili Mines, Apr (ANSP).

Diagnosis of male. This species can be recognized by the posterior margin of the head, by the weakly excised mandible that is dilated towards the vertical apex ( Fig. 20 ), by the large stigma that is slightly longer than the marginal cell, by the denticles on the internal margin of the hind coxa, by the lack of mesosternal processes, by the quadrate pygidium, and most especially by the lobate dorsoventrally flattened condition of the cuspis (see Fig. 23 in Pitts et al. 2009), which has long setae along the internal margin that coalesce apically.

Diagnosis of female. Pitts et al. (2009) associated and diagnosed the female.

Material examined. California, Riverside Co., Deep Canyon: 2 males, 1. May.1973, 5 males, 22– 23. May.2007, 1 male, 1–4. Jun.1970, 1 male, 6–13.Nov.1969.

Distribution. This species is widespread in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Mexico.

Remarks. This species is widespread and not endemic to Deep Canyon. It is currently placed in the S. blakeii species-group along with S. arenicola , S. ceyxoides , and S. tuberculifera . Sphaeropthalma blakeii is sister to S. ceyxoides with which is shares similarities in genitalic morphology, but is not closely related to S. arenicola which makes this species-group paraphyletic ( Pitts et al. 2010).

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 24. Head, anterior view; except ventral view 17. 13. Odontophotopsis serca; 14. O. setifera; 15. Sphaeropthalma. amphion; 16. S. angulifera; 17. S. angulifera; 18. S. arota; 19. S. becki; 20. S. blakeii; 21. S. difficilis; 22. S. ferruginea; 23. S. ignacio; and 24. S. macswaini.