Published December 12, 2017 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Dilophotopsis paron

Description

Dilophotopsis paron (Cameron, 1896)

Sphaerophthalma [sic] paron Cameron, 1896. Biol. Cent.-Amer. 37: 381. ♂. Syntype data: Mexico, Northern Sonora (BMNH). Dilophotopsis concolor sonorensis Schuster, 1958. Ent. Amer. 37: 88. ♂. Holotype data: Arizona, Gila Bend (UMSP). Synonymized by Wilson & Pitts (2008).

Diagnosis of male. The male of this species has mesosternal armature, a flattened hypopygidium that is emarginated apically and carinate laterally, a metasoma that is darker than the head and mesosoma or has the integument of the mesosoma at least darkened under felt lines, and the cuspis of the genitalia is dorsoventrally flattened and uniquely elbowed (see Wilson & Pitts 2008: Figs 12–14). However, this species does not have parameres that overlap in situ. The mandibles are similar to Acrophotopsis campylognatha illustrated by Pitts et al. (2010a: Fig. 2).

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. Dilophotopsis concolor sonorensis Holotype data: Arizona, Gila Bend, 24 Apr 1935, F.H. Parker (UMSP). JTNP: 18–21.Jul.2012: 49 ♂ N9; 11 ♂ N7; 41 ♂ N5; 7 ♂ N3; 5 ♂ N1; 1 ♂ S11; 2 ♂ S13; 132 ♂ S18. 26–28.Aug.2012: 1 ♂ S1; 2 ♂ S3; 1 ♂ S7; 2 ♂ S11; 2 ♂ S18. 22–24.Sep.2012: 3 ♂ S11; 3 ♂ S13.

Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, and Nevada) and northern Mexico (Baja California). Activity. This species seems to be active earlier in the season at JTNP.

Remarks. This genus was reviewed by Wilson & Pitts (2008) and Wilson & Pitts (2010a), where they discovered that this species is morphologically and molecularly distinct from the other three subspecies, and raised it to the species level from the subspecies level. Its taxonomic position is discussed in Pitts (2003: see remarks for Acrophotopsis dirce). Although this species is found in the Mojave Desert (e.g. Ferguson 1967; Boehme et al. 2012), this species seems to be more abundant in more southern areas of the Mojave Desert and into the Sonoran Desert (Table 2 & 3; e.g. Pitts et al. 2010a).

Notes

Published as part of Wilson, Joseph S., 2017, Nocturnal Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California with the description of three new species, pp. 329-367 in Zootaxa 4319 (2) on pages 334-335, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4319.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/892295

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Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

Collection code
BMNH , UMSP
Family
Mutillidae
Genus
Dilophotopsis
Kingdom
Animalia
Order
Hymenoptera
Phylum
Arthropoda
Scientific name authorship
Cameron
Species
paron
Taxon rank
species
Type status
holotype , syntype
Taxonomic concept label
Dilophotopsis paron (Cameron, 1896) sec. Wilson, 2017

References

  • Schuster, R. M. (1958) A revision of the sphaeropthalmine Mutillidae of America north of Mexico. II. Entomologica Americana, 37, 1 - 130.
  • Wilson, J. S. & Pitts, J. P. (2008) Revision of velvet ant genus Dilophotopsis Schuster (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) by using molecular and morphological data, with implications for desert biogeography. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 101, 514 - 524. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / 0013 - 8746 (2008) 101 [514: ROVAGD] 2.0. CO; 2
  • Pitts, J. P. (2003) Schusterphotopsis, a new genus of Sphaeropthalminae (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) from California, with notes on the closely related genera Acrophotopsis Schuster and Dilophotopsis Schuster. Zootaxa, 333, 1 - 7.
  • Ferguson, W. E. (1967) Male Sphaeropthalmine mutillid wasps of the Nevada Test Site. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, 8, 1 - 26. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 7443
  • Boehme, N. F., Tanner, D. A., Williams, K. A. & Pitts, J. P. (2012) Faunal study of the velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) and their activity patterns and habitat preference at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nye County, Nevada, USA. Zootaxa, 3587, 1 - 45.