Sphaeropthalma difficilis Baker 1905
Creators: name: Boehme, Nicole F.
name: Tanner, David A.
name: Williams, Kevin A.
name: Pitts, James P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Mutillidae
Sphaeropthalma
Sphaeropthalma difficilis

description: Sphaeropthalma difficilis (Baker, 1905)
Photopsis difficilis Baker, 1905: 114,
3. Holotype: California Claremont (CUIC).
Sphaeropthalma (Micromutilla) maricopella purismella Schuster, 1958: 17, 3. Holotype: Lost.
Sphaeropthalma (Micromutilla) maricopella maricopella Schuster, 1958: 17, 3. Holotype: Lost.
Sphaeropthalma (Micromutilla) maricopella castanea Schuster, 1958: 17, 3. Holotype: Lost.
Sphaeropthalma (Micromutilla) californiense californiense Schuster, 1958: 18, 3. Holotype: Lost.
Sphaeropthalma (Micromutilla) californiense fuscatella Schuster, 1958: 18, 3. Holotype: Lost.
Sphaeropthalma (Micromutilla) quijotoa quijotoa Schuster, 1958: 18, 3. Holotype: Lost.
Sphaeropthalma (Micromutilla) quijotoa parrasia Schuster, 1958: 18, 3. Holotype: Lost.
Diagnosis. MALE. This species is recognized by the deeply excised vertical mandible with the tooth forming an acute angle (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 38), the lack of mesosternal processes, the marginal cell shorter than the stigma, the first segment of the metasoma petiolate with the second segment and densely punctate, the second sternite with an anteromedial tumid region, and the genitalia with a long cylindrical cuspis that is setose ventrally with the apex having longer denser setae and parameres with dense setae located medially, but internally directed, along the internal margin (see Pitts et al. 2009: Fig. 3). FEMALE. The female of this species can be diagnosed by the following combination characters: the dorsum of the body is covered with sparse erect brachyplumose setae, but the integument is not obscured, the ventral margin of the mandible with a deep excision subtended by a large rounded tooth and 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 striate to granulate.
Material examined. Type material. Holotype of Ph. difficilis: California Claremont (CUIC). Other material. Nevada, Nye Co., AMNWR: Non-dune site 1: 1 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB; Non-dune site 2: 1 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, 3 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, NFB, 2 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & DAT, 2 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 4 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 8 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB; Non-dune site 3: 8 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, 15 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, NFB, 10 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & DAT, 2 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 5 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 7 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 2 ♂, PT, 4.IX.2009, NFB; Non-dune site 4: 1 ♂, PT, 23.VII.2008, NFB & DAT, 2 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, 15 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, NFB, 8 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & DAT, 8 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 3 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 11 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, NFB; Sand dune site 1: 1 ♂, LT, 26.VI.2008, NFB, DAT & JPP, 1 ♂, LT, 18. IV.2009, 5 ♂, LT, 1 ♂, PT, 12–14.V.2009, 13 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, NFB, 6 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & SDB, 16 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 5 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 2 ♂, PT, 6. VIII.2009, 5 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, NFB; Sand dune site 2: 1 ♀, 2 ♂, PT, 2–3.IX.2008, 8 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, 10 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, NFB, 2 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & DAT, 13 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 29 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 9 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 3 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB; Sand dune site 3: 1 ♂, PT, 17–18.X.2008, NFB & SDB, 1 ♂, LT, 28. IV.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, 3 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, 8 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 6 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 4 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 1 ♂, PT, 4–6.IX.2009, 5 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, 1 ♂, PT, 3.X.2009, NFB; Sand dune site 4: 6 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, NFB, 2 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & DAT, 12 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 2 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 4 ♂, LT, 18–23.IX.2009, NFB; Sand dune site 5: 15 ♂, LT, 24.VI.2008, NFB, DAT & JPP, 2 ♂, LT, 10. VII.2008, 5 ♂, LT, 24.VII.2008, NFB & DAT, 17 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, 4 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, NFB, 5 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & DAT, 1 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 9 ♂, LT, 6–8.VII.2009, 19 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 5 ♂, LT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 17 ♂, LT, 17–19.VIII.2009, 1 ♂, PT, 4.IX.2009, NFB, 1 ♂, PT, 30.X.2009, NFB & SDB; Non-dune site 5: 1 ♀, PT, 24.VI.2008, NFB, DAT & JPP, 3 ♂, LT, 23.VII.2008, NFB & DAT, 2 ♀, PT, 5. VIII.2008, 10 ♂, LT, 12–14.V.2009, 13 ♂, LT, 26–28.V.2009, NFB, 6 ♂, LT, 8–15.VI.2009, NFB & DAT, 15 ♂, LT, 23–25.VI.2009, 3 ♂, LT, 1 ♂, PT, 6–8.VII.2009, 17 ♂, LT, 21–23.VII.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 1 ♂, PT, 4–6.VIII.2009, 7 ♂, LT, 4–6.IX.2009, 1 ♂, LT, 16–18.X.2009, NFB; Copeland site: 1 ♂, LT, 5.V.2008, DAT, 2 ♂, LT, 13.VI.2008, NFB & DAT, 1 ♂, PT, 24.VI.2008, NFB, DAT & JPP, 1 ♀, PT, 22.VII.2008, NFB & DAT, 2 ♀, PT, 5.VIII.2008, NFB; Spring meadows site: 1 ♂, PT, 26.VI.2008, NFB, DAT & JPP, 1 ♂, PT, 10.VII.2008, NFB & DAT, 3 ♀, PT, 5. VIII.2008, 1 ♀, PT, 2–3.IX.2008, NFB; Mesquite site 1: 1 ♀, PT, 2–3.IX.2008, NFB.
Distribution. USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wyoming), Mexico (Baja California), Canada (British Colombia).
Activity. Males were active from mid-spring through mid-autumn (May through October). Females were collected in late summer (July and August through September 2008).
Remarks. Sphaeropthalma difficilis were distributed uniformly over sand dune and non-dune habitats (U=18, p>0.2). Twelve female and 522 male S. difficilis were collected throughout the course of this study. The females were collected from late June through early September in pitfall traps, and the males were collected from mid-April through October via light and pitfall trapping. Five S. difficilis males were found at the NTS in June and October via light and pitfall trapping (Ferguson 1967).
Wilson and Pitts (2010) performed a phylogenetic analysis of S. difficilis and used this species to identify potential Pleistocene refugia in the North American cold deserts. Their research on this species provided evidence that in addition to desert-like conditions persisting through the ice age in parts of the Nearctic warm deserts, many areas maintained desert-like characteristics in the regional cold deserts. This species is closely related to S. django, which is restricted to the Algodones Sand Dunes (Pitts et al. 2009).
description: Published as part of Boehme, Nicole F., Tanner, David A., Williams, Kevin A. & Pitts, James P., 2012, Faunal study of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) and their activity patterns and habitat preference at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nye County, Nevada, USA, pp. 1-45 in Zootaxa 3587 on pages 28-29, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3587.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/283115