Ephucilla Lelej 1995
Creators: name: Lelej, Arkady S.
name: Williams, Kevin A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Mutillidae
Ephucilla

description: 6. Ephucilla Lelej, 1995
(Figs 17–21, 112)
Ephucilla Lelej, 1995b: 3 (key), 10 (description), ♁, ♀; Lelej & Brothers 2008: 21; Brothers & Lelej 2017: 95, ♁, ♀; Williams et al. 2019: 17, ♀; Pagliano et al. 2020: 171; Okayasu 2020: 62, ♁, ♀.
Type species. Mutilla naja Zavattari, 1913 by original designation.
Diagnosis. MALE. Head robust, elevated posterad (rounded posterad in undata group), frons and vertex longitudinally striate (vertex densely punctate in undata group). Mandible tridentate (bidentate in undata group), deeply excised beneath with large ventral subbasal tooth (dorsal margin basomedially highly crooked in undata group). Clypeus convex (concave in undata group) anteriorly with protruding midpart. POD 1.5–2.6 × posterior ocellus diameter. Scape distinctly bicarinate beneath. F1 equal to (in naja group) or 1.25 × (in undata and drupa groups) its maximal width. Tegula slightly protruding beyond scuto-scutellar suture. Mesopleuron beneath with distinct, oblique, precoxal ridges. Metacoxa mesally carinate. Wing hyaline or infuscated, stigmatic cell 0.5–0.6 × distance between base of stigmatic cell and origin of RS on vein Sc. Metasoma black or with bluish, metallic lustre (in naja and undata groups) or some basal segments red (in drupa group). T1 with distinct dorsum, T2 with lateral felt lines, S2 with strong median basal carina and without any trace of felt lines. T7 usually with longitudinal median impunctate area, widened posterad, S8 simple, without any tubercles or carinae. Genital volsella not widened basally, setae on inner and ventral margin shorter than cuspis length. FEMALE. Genal carina weakly developed; hypostomal tooth absent or angulate to dentiform; clypeus with subapical transverse lamellate carina and basomedial longitudinal tubercle; prementum without dome-like tubercle. Mandible slender. Pronotum without projecting humeral angle; scutellar scale weakly developed. Protarsus without external comb of long spines. T1 without pale setal spots; T2 with apical narrow band of pale setae, slightly widened medially; T3 with wide uniform band of pale setae; T6 lacking distinct flattened pygidium, glabrous, elongate, unsculptured and polished throughout; lateral margins of pygidial plate very weakly carinate apically.
Diversity and distribution. Sixteen Oriental species (three also occur in the eastern Palaearctic) are recognized in Ephucilla. Three are known from both sexes, nine are known from the male sex only and four are based on females only.
Remarks. This genus is easily confused with Sinotilla Lelej, 1995, because the lateral pygidial carinae are easily overlooked. In fact, two of the species were initially placed in Sinotilla (Lelej 2005). Structurally, females are similar to Indratilla Lelej, 1993 from Sri Lanka, but that genus always has T1 and T2 each with two apical whitish setal spots. There are no available keys to separate the species of this genus.
description: Published as part of Lelej, Arkady S. & Williams, Kevin A., 2023, Review of the tribe Smicromyrmini Bischoff, 1920 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), pp. 101-140 in Zootaxa 5231 (2) on page 112, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5231.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7575308