Tobantilla aleatrix 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 aleatrix

description: Tobantilla aleatrix Williams, Brothers & Pitts, sp. nov.
(Figs 1, 7, 14)
Diagnosis. FEMALE. The head and mesosoma are pale orange-brown with sparse pale golden setae dorsally (Fig. 1), the sculpture of the pronotum clearly evident; the mesosoma is longer than broad and evenly narrowed posterior to the pronotum; the scutellar scale is separated from the dorsal propodeal carinae; the posterior propodeal face is fairly densely clothed with pale golden setae dorsally (Fig. 1); T2 is broadest posterior to its midlength, and has both an anterior and posterior pair of yellow integumental spots; and T4 is clothed with black setae.
Description. FEMALE. Body length 4.1–4.8 mm. Coloration. Body and appendages pale orange-brown except T5 and S5–6 paler yellowish-brown; T2 with two pairs of separated yellow spots, anterior spots circular, much smaller than posterior triangular to trapezoidal patches. Tibial spurs white. Head and mesosoma clothed with fairly sparse decumbent pale golden or silvery lanceolate setae, except medial portion of mesosomal dorsum with a few dark brown setae interspersed, area directly anterior to scutellar scale with cluster of dark brown setae, and dorsum of head and mesosoma with scattered erect long brachyplumose brown setae; posterior face of propodeum with moderately dense decumbent pale golden setae and a few dark brown setae dorsally, almost glabrous ventrally. T2 clothed with dark brown decumbent lanceolate setae between spots and along apical margin, lateral thirds and integumental spots with sparse silver decumbent and erect setae. T3–4 entirely clothed with decumbent dark brown lanceolate setae. T1, T5 and S1–5 clothed with silvery white decumbent and erect setae. T6 and S6 with erect brown setae. Head. Rounded posteriorly, with occipital carina stronger laterally from base of weak narrowly triangular glabrous tubercle on posterolateral margin. Head width 1.1 × pronotal width. Eye almost circular. Front, vertex and gena reticulate. Genal carina slightly produced, extending anteriorly to hypostomal carina. Mandible oblique, tapering, bidentate apically but preapical inner tooth minute and usually obliterated, unarmed ventrally. Antennal scrobe with distinct lateral vertical carina but no dorsal carina. Antennal tubercle finely and sparsely punctate basally. Scape simply punctate. Flagellomere 1 1.5 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 1.3 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Mesosomal length 1.1 × width; pronotum 1.1 × as wide as mesothorax. Mesosomal dorsum reticulate. Humeral carina well developed, extending mesally beyond strongly dentate epaulet. Lateral face of pronotum and mesopleuron micropunctate, dull, mesopleural ridge coarsely reticulate; clothed with fine recumbent setae. Metapleuron dorsal to endophragmal pit and dorsal two-thirds of lateral face of propodeum glabrous, smooth; ventral regions of metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum micropunctate and clothed with fine recumbent setae. In dorsal view, mesosoma gradually narrowed posterior to pronotum, lateral margin of mesothorax weakly sinuate anterior to propodeal spiracle. Scutellar scale narrow and highly raised, with broadly w-shaped transverse carina anterior to it. Moderate transverse carina separating dorsal and posterior propodeal faces on each side. Propodeum narrowed posterior to spiracle, posterolateral angle broadly rounded, posterior face weakly convex, vertical, reticulate and clothed with moderately dense decumbent lanceolate setae on dorsal half, smooth and almost glabrous ventrally. Metasoma. T1 narrow and petiolate, somewhat cylindrical, 0.4 × as wide as T2. T2 1.1 × as long as wide, with maximum width slightly posterior to midlength. Disc of T2 with moderate-sized longitudinally ovate contiguous punctures, except yellow spots sparsely punctate with interspaces wider than punctures; T3–5 densely punctate. S1 with low longitudinal carina, S1–5 moderately punctate, punctures smaller and denser on S3–5. Pygidium well defined by continuous lateral and apical carinae, posterior margin broadly convex, surface weakly convex with about 10 irregular longitudinal striae almost reaching apical margin, spaces between striae irregularly granulate.
Male. Unknown.
Type material. Holotype, Ƥ, ARGENTINA: Jujuy, Huacalera, 17 km.N. Tilcara, 2800 m., 6 January 1972, D.J.Brothers (MACN). Paratype, 1Ƥ, same label data as holotype (DJBC).
Distribution. This species is known only from the type locality.
Host. Unknown.
Etymology. From the Latin, the female of aleator, “gambler”; noun in apposition. This species, like two others here, is named after a work by Russian author Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, in this case the novel Игрок “The Gambler”, with an allusion to initial uncertainty about its specific status.
Remarks. This species is very similar in many respects, particularly in color, to T. charrasca, with which it was initially confused. However, T. charrasca has the mesosomal dorsal pubescence denser (e.g., concealing the sculpture of the pronotum) as is that of the posterior face of the propodeum and of T1, the anterior epaulet less developed, the mesosoma broader than long, the mesothorax as wide as the pronotum, the lateral margin of the mesosoma more strongly sinuate (broadening behind the pronotum then narrowing strongly to the propodeal spiracle and then almost straight to the blunt posterolateral angle of the propodeum), the second flagellomere about 1.1 × the length of the pedicel, and T2 about as long as wide and with its greatest width slightly anterior to its midlength. In addition, T. charrasca has the femora distinctly darkened medially.
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 45-48, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.278958