Dasymutilla niphopilis 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 : 75-76

Dasymutilla niphopilis Manley & Pitts , new species

Holotype female, Mexico, Sonora, Guaymas, VI-12-62, D. H. Janzen [ CISC].

Diagnosis of Female (Plate C7C). This species can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters, including coloration. It has the head broad and quadrate, but not as broad as the mesosoma. The antennal scrobe is very weakly carinate, and a genal carina is absent. The mesosoma is distinctly broader than long, and lacks a scutellar scale. The integument is dark, burgundy-colored. Sternum II is not scabrous, and the pygidium is rugose. The setae are predominantly whitish yellow, with black setae on the posterior face of the propodeum and anterior margin of tergum II.

Description. Female: Length, 10–11 mm. Head. Burgundy, broad, quadrate, with yellow setae; mandible acute at apex, lacking inner tooth; clypeus transversely concave, anterior margin emarginate; scape carinate, clothed with yellow setae; flagellomere I long, as long as II and III united, remaining segments subequal in length; antennal scrobe very weakly carinate; front and vertex with coarse contiguous punctures, sculpture concealed by dense setae; gena shining, with shallow contiguous punctures, genal carina absent; head 2.3–2.9 mm, relative width of head to mesosoma about 0.85:1.

Mesosoma. Burgundy, distinctly broader than long (2.7–3.3 mm wide X 2.4–2.9 mm long); anterior margin slightly convex, not emarginate medially; scutellar scale absent; dorsum and propodeum with coarse contiguous punctures, sculpture concealed by dense setae; entirely with dense appressed yellow setae, except posterior face of propodeum with sparse black setae.

Legs burgundy, clothed with yellow setae.

Metasoma. Burgundy; disk of tergum I glabrous, bordered by shallow contiguous punctures; tergum II with shallow contiguous punctures, sculpture concealed by dense setae; sternum II shining, with shallow separated punctures, not at all scabrous; sternum I lacking an obvious median carina; pygidium rugose; all specimens have median arrow-shaped area of appressed black setae on anterior margin of tergum II; all specimens but one with yellow setae on remainder of segment; remainder of setae in all specimens yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Paratypes. 4♀, MEXICO, Baja California Sur, Cabo Falso, 7 km W. Cabo San Lucas, I-1-79, P. Rude (1♀, CISC); Sierra de la Laguna, VII-31-87, R. E. Wells (1♀, DGMC); Sonora, 27 mi N Guaymas, VIII-20- 60, R. L. Westcott (1♀, LACM); N. of Guaymas , III-27-61, D. F. Veira (1♀, EMUS) .

Distribution. Mexico (Baja California Sur, Sonora).

Etymology. From the Greek nipho “snow” and Greek pilis “hair,” referring to the whitish yellow coloration of this species.

Remarks. This species is known only from the female. The dorsum of the body is predominantly concolorous and yellow. The yellow setae are not long and shaggy (as in D. albiceris ). Tergum II has a spot of black setae anteromedially.

One specimen has the apical fringe of setae on tergum II narrowly interrupted medially with black setae. One specimen has the yellow setae on terga III and IV narrowly interrupted medially with black. In another specimen, only tergum III is narrowly interrupted medially with black setae.