Tobantilla ephemeros Williams, Brothers & Pitts, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Williams, Kevin A.
name: Brothers, Denis J.
name: Pitts, James P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Mutillidae
Tobantilla
Tobantilla ephemeros

description: Tobantilla ephemeros Williams, Brothers & Pitts, sp. nov.
(Figs 17, 27–30, 36)
Diagnosis. MALE. The clypeus forms a flattened plate that is shallowly emarginate anteriorly (Fig. 36), and the disc of T2 has the interstitial spaces glabrous without decumbent setae (Fig. 17).
Description. MALE. Body length 5–9 mm. Coloration. Head, mesosoma and legs black. T1 black, remainder of metasoma red, felt lines and apical segments infuscated. Antennae, medial portion of mandibles, and tegulae brown. Tibial spurs white. Wings weakly infuscated, veins brown. Head clothed with appressed silver setae, front and vertex with dense erect black setae. Mesosoma clothed with appressed silver setae, except mesoscutum with glabrous interstitial spaces; pronotum, mesonotum and scutellum with erect black setae. Posterior two thirds of disc of T2 and metasomal segments five through seven entirely clothed with black setae, remainder of metasoma clothed with silver setae. Head. Rounded posteriorly, with strong posterior projection behind ocelli. Head width 1.1 × pronotal width. Eye transversely ovate, in dorsal view eye diameter 2.3 × distance from posterior eye margin to posterolateral angle of head. Ocelli small; ocellocular distance 5.0 × length of lateral ocellus, interocellar distance 1.2 × lateral ocellar length. Occipital carina weak but distinct. Front, gena and vertex moderately setose, densely punctate. Gena ecarinate. Antennal scrobe broadly concave to eye margin, with prominent complete flangelike transverse carina above. Clypeus projecting and shallowly emarginate anteriorly, anterolateral margins carinate.
Oral fossa 1.25 × length of hypostomal bridge. Scape bicarinate ventrally. Flagellomere 1 1.2 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 2.5 × pedicel length. Mandible oblique, tapering, bidentate apically, unarmed ventrally. Maxilla and labium elongate. Maxillary palp 6-segmented, third and fourth segments slightly flattened and apically expanded, other segments almost cylindrical. Labial palp 4-segmented, second and third segments slightly flattened and apically expanded, other segments almost cylindrical. Mesosoma. Epaulets lowly produced; pronotum emarginate anteromedially. Pronotal dorsal punctation coarsely contiguous but obscured by dense shaggy recumbent mesally directed setae; anterior face moderately punctate, except emarginated medial area glabrous; lateral face moderately punctate above but almost smooth ventrally. Tegula convex, almost hemispherical, glabrous except with long recumbent setae anterolaterally and posteromesally. Mesoscutum with moderately-spaced coarse punctures, punctation obscured on anterior fifth by dense shaggy recumbent posteriorly directed setae; micropunctate inside reticulations; notaulus weakly produced, extending to anterior margin; parapsis indistinguishable; posterolateral corner forming a coarsely punctate raised lobe. Scutellum slightly convex, with coarse punctures. Axilla produced posteriorly, contiguously punctate on dorsal anterior half, glabrous on dorsal posterior half, posterior face truncate with posteriorly directed setae; anterolateral axillar margin contiguous with posterior mesonotal margin. Metanotum surface obscured by dense shaggy mesally facing recumbent setae. Mesopleural punctation obscured by dense setae. Metapleuron glabrous with small scattered punctures. Propodeum strongly convex, broadly reticulate, except smooth and shining adjacent to metapleuron, reticulations obscured by dense setae on anterior half of dorsal face. Wings. Forewing with moderate ovate sclerotized pterostigma; marginal cell moderate and truncate apically; three submarginal cells. Legs. Mid- and hind tibiae each with 1–2 inconspicuous strong spines and several strong slender semi-erect macrosetae dorsally, distinct apical secretory pore on inner surface near base of inner spur; spurs densely clothed with microsetae. Metasoma. T1 petiolate, 0.45 × width of T2, with moderately spaced coarse punctures. T2 with moderately spaced coarse punctures, interstitial spaces glabrous; apex obscured by dense fringe of mesally directed setae; felt line 0.4 × lateral length of T2. T3–6 densely punctate. Pygidium margined laterally and posteriorly by a sharp carina; surface convex, glabrous except apex moderately punctate and setose. S1 with obscure longitudinal carina, having scattered large punctures. S2 moderately punctate, evenly convex. Hypopygium moderately punctate, posteromedial margin with sharp tooth. Genitalia (Figs 27–30). Free length of paramere dorsally curved apically, with ventral brush of long dense setae basally, remainder having scattered short sparse setae; apex of ventral face visible from above. Cuspis deeply divided near base, cylindrical, ~0.4 × free-length of paramere, posterior half having long dense posteriorly directed setae; densely setose basal lobe present, lobe roughly 0.6 × cuspis length. Digitus laterally compressed, constricted at apex, asetose, ~0.4 × free-length of paramere. Parapenial lobe well developed, apically sharply angulate. Penis valve asetose, ventral margin bidentate apically, teeth separated.
FEMALE. Unknown.
Type material. Holotype, 3, ARGENTINA: La Rioja, Sierra de Argañaraz, 29 km N Chepes, 31°10.81'S 66°41.26'W, 1020m, malaise trap, 2–16.IX.1999, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS). Paratypes. ARGENTINA: Catamarca, Andalgala, 13, 4.XI.1972, G.E. Bohart (EMUS); 4 km W Chumbicha, 28°51.33'S 66°16.13'W, 440m, 13, 13–15.IX.1999, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); Coneta, 16 km S Catamarca, 28°34.07'S 65°52.74'W, 554m, 23, 25.X–12.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); Palo Labrado, 23 km S La Merced, 28°19.94'S 65°37.13'W, 734m, 73, 23–25.X.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); 11 km S Palo Labrado, 28°25.68'S 65°38.03'W, 668m, small dry wash w/ subtropical decid[uous] veg[etation], 13, 23–25.X.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); San Pablo, 103, 28°41.81'S 66°02.55'W, 712m, malaise trap, 24.X–12.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (1 DJBC, 9 EMUS); Sierra de Ambato, 13 km NW Chumbicha, 28° 50.00'S 66°24.46'W, 700m: 13, 13.IX.1999, pan trap, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (DJBC); 13, 5.IX.1999, malaise trap, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); Sierra de Ambato, HW 60 18 km NW Chumbicha, 28°48.17'S 66°23.36'W, 950m, malaise trap, 13, 6– 13.IX.1999, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); La Rioja, Rosaro V. Penaloza, Sierra de Argañaraz, El Rocillo, 31.2066°S 66.7126°W, 2370 ft., 13, 11–22.X.1997, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker & S. Roig (EMUS); Chilecito, 5 km E Piedra Pintada, 29.3598°S 67.7857°W, 2600 ft., 33, 12–15.X.1997, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker, & S. Roig (EMUS); Sierra de Ambato, Hwy 60 26 km SE Estación Mazán, 28°46.04'S 66°22.69'W, 1050m, 23, 6–9.IX.1999, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); Rio Negro, Choele Choel: 13, XII.1997, U. & M. Fritz (identified as “ Tobantilla undet[ermined]” in Fritz collection, AMNH); 33, I.1991, U. Fritz (identified as “ Tobantilla undet[ermined]” in Fritz collection, AMNH); 23, XI.1991, Fritz (AMNH); Luls Beltrán, 23, 25.xi.1991, Fritz (AMNH); Lamarque, 23, U. Fritz (identified as “ Tobantilla undet[ermined]” in Fritz collection, AMNH); Salta, 9 km N Cafayate, 26°00.46'S 65°58.44'W, 1684m, 243, 26.X–13.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (1 DJBC, 13 EMUS, 5 MACN, 5 AMNH); 10 km S Cafayete, 26°09.05'S 65°57.31'W, 1644m, malaise trap, 23, 26.X–13.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); Tucumán, 8 km NW Amaicha del Valle, 26°32.35'S 65°58.37'W, 1847m, Malaise trap, 13, 22–25.X.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (EMUS); 4 km S Capitan Cáceres, 27°13.54'S 65°38.34'W, 430m, 143, 24.X–12.XI.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (1 DJBC, 13 EMUS). URUGUAY, Montevideo, So[uth] Amer[ican] Peras Lab, 13, 17.I.1943, Barry (USNM).
Distribution. Argentina (La Rioja, Catamarca, Rio Negro, Salta, Tucumán) and Uruguay.
Host. Unknown.
Etymology. From the Greek ephemeros “short-lived” in reference to the probability that this species will be associated with T. charrasca, or T. montonera; indeclinable.
Remarks. This species is the most widespread Tobantilla, extending east to Uruguay, south to Rio Negro Province and northwest to Salta Province. Although more widespread than T. drosos, this species displays less color variation: T2 is red and T1 is black anteriorly in all of the paratypes.
description: Published as part of Williams, Kevin A., Brothers, Denis J. & Pitts, James P., 2011, New species of Tobantilla Casal, 1965 and a new genus and species, Gogoltilla chichikovi gen. et sp. nov., from Argentina (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), pp. 41-68 in Zootaxa 3064 on pages 53-55, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278958