Sphaeropthalma orestes
Creators: name: Wilson, Joseph S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Mutillidae
Sphaeropthalma
Sphaeropthalma orestes

description: Sphaeropthalma orestes (Fox, 1899)
Mutilla orestes Fox, 1899. Amer. Ent. Soc., Trans. 25: 256. ♂. Holotype data: no locality data (ANSP).
Mutilla Pattersonae Melander, 1903. Amer. Ent. Soc., Trans. 29: 309. ♂. Holotype data: California, Fort Washington, 3 October 1895, R. Patterson (NMNH). Synonymized by Schuster (1958).
Photopsis indigens Baker, 1905. Invertebrata Pacifica 1: 112. ♂. Holotype data: King’s Canon, Ormsby Co., Nevada (CUIC). Synonymized by Schuster (1958).
Photopsis uniformis Baker, 1905. Invertebrata Pacifica 1: 113. ♂. Syntype data: California, Claremont (CUIC). Synonymized by Schuster (1958).
Photopsis pedatus Baker, 1905. Invertebrata Pacifica 1: 115. ♂. Syntype data: California, Claremont (CUIC). Synonymized by Schuster (1958).
Photopsis ingenuus Baker, 1905. Invertebrata Pacifica 1: 116. ♂. Holotype data: California, Claremont (CUIC). Synonymized by Schuster (1958).
Photopsis salmani Mickel, 1938. Pan–Pacific Ent. 14: 178. ♂. Holotype data: California, Eagle Lake, 30 July 1936, C.E. Mickel (UMSP). Synonymized by Ferguson (1962).
Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) salmani fresnoensis Schuster, 1958. Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 30. ♂. Holotype data: lost. Synonymized by Ferguson (1962).
Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) salmani oregano Schuster, 1958. Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 31. ♂. Holotype data: lost. Synonymized by Ferguson (1962).
Diagnosis of male. This species has mandibles that are strongly excised ventrally, have a vertical face, have a distinct basal tooth and an apex that is tridentate and oblique (see Boehme et al. 2012: Fig. 19), the posterior margin of the head is rounded, the mesosternum lacks processes, the second metasomal sternum lacks a distinct felt line, the pygidium is glabrous and the cuspis of the genitalia spatulate and lack plumose setae. Genitalia are illustrated in Boehme et al. (2012: Fig. 10).
Diagnosis of female. This species has the dorsum of the body covered with sparse erect brachyplumose setae, but the integument is not obscured, the ventral margin of the mandible bears a large ventral basal tooth but lacks a dorsal tooth at the termination of the dorsal carina, the head below eyes is parallel, the head evenly rounded in lateral view, the first metasoma segment is petiolate with the second segment and the pygidium is granulate.
Material examined. Mutilla orestes Holotype data: no locality data (ANSP). Mutilla Pattersonae Holotype data: California, Fort Washington, 3 October 1895, R. Patterson (NMNH). Photopsis uniformis Syntype data: California, Claremont (CUIC). Photopsis pedatus Syntype data: California, Claremont (CUIC). Photopsis ingenuus Holotype data: California, Claremont (CUIC). Photopsis salmani Holotype data: California, Eagle Lake, 30 July 1936, C.E. Mickel (UMSP).
Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington) and northern Mexico (Baja California and Sonora).
Activity. No specimens of this species were collected during the course of this study.
Remarks. This species is a member of the S. orestes species-group (Pitts & Sadler 2015). The absence of S. orestes at the JTNP is odd because the species is known to be abundant throughout its range, which extends west of the Rocky Mountains from mainland Mexico to southern Canada. It was the second most abundant species at AMNWR (Boehme et al. 2012). It likely occurs in JTNP.
description: 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 page 358, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4319.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/892295