Trogaspidia rhea gaea Chen, 1957

Okayasu, Juriya, Lelej, Arkady S., Williams, Kevin A., Brabant, Craig M., Nguyen, Lien Thi Phuong, Nguyen, Anh Duc, Pham, Thai Hong & Truong, Tuong Thi Cat, 2025, Current knowledge on the velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae, Myrmosidae) of Vietnam: faunal review and new distributional records, Zootaxa 5668 (1), pp. 1-104 : 76-77

Trogaspidia rhea gaea Chen, 1957

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EC37FB30-0E99-4E49-B8D6-521EB378D2ED

( Figs 27E–27H)

Trogaspidia rhea gaea Chen, 1957: 168 , ♂ ♀, holotype ♂ (Wuku, Shaowu, Fukien [= Fujian], China) [TARI]; He et al. 2004: 968, ♂ ♀; Lelej 2005: 100; Hua 2006: 301; Okayasu et al. 2018: 305, ♀; Pagliano et al. 2020: 289; Nguyen & Dang 2024: 60, ♂ ♀; Boutin & Vilhelmsen 2024: supplementary table S2, S3, ♀.

Material examined. 9♂ 12♀. Vietnam: CAO BANG: Pac Bo , 3.VIII.2000, S. Okajima leg. [1♀ TUA] ; Phia Oac-Phia Den NP station, 800 m, 30.VI.2022, Nguyen D. Hiep leg. [2♀ IEBR] ; Nguyen Binh , Phia Oac-Phia Den NP, 22°36'16"N 105°52'30"E, 15.X.2022, Malaise trap [1♀ IEBR] ; BAC KAN: Ba Be National Park , 31.VII– 2.VIII.2000, K. Okajima leg. [1♀ TUA] ; Cho Don, Binh Trai , Nam Xuan Lac NP, 22°15'19.4"N 105°30'43.7"E, 650 m, 15.VIII.2020, TXL [= Truong Xuan Lam], NTPL [= Nguyen Thi Phuong Lien], NQC [= Nguyen Quang Cuong], TTN [= Tran Thi Ngat], MVT [= Mai Van Thai] & TTPU [= Tran Thi Phuong Uyen] leg. [1♂ IEBR] ; VINH PHUC: Ngoc Thanh, Me Linh Bio-Station , 21°16'51"N 105°71'54"E, 30.VI.2021, IED [= Insect Ecology Department] leg., MT [= Malaise trap] [1♂ IEBR] ; Phuc Yen dist., Ngoc Thanh comm., Me Linh Biodiversity Station , 21°23'22"N 105°42'48"E, 65 m, 30.IX.2021, T.D. Duong & T.X. Thanh leg., Malaise trap (MT3) [1♂ IEBR] ; HANOI: Tonkin [= North Vietnam], Mont Bavi , 900 à 1000 m, VIII.1940, P.A. de Cooman leg. [1♀ TARI] ; QUANG NINH: Hoanh Bo, Dong Lam , 21°8'58"N 107°0'45"E, 190 m, 9.XII.2021, M.V. Thai leg. [1♂ IEBR] ; HAI PHONG: Cat Ba NP, trail, 20.X.2009, R. de Vries leg. [1♀ RMNH] ; NINH BINH: Cuc Phuong , 200–300 m alt., 24.IV.1998, R. Matsumoto leg. [1♂ 1♀ OMNH] ; Cuc Phuong N. P. Bong , 20°21'N 105°35'E, 370 m alt., 23–27.VII.2010, H. Sawada leg. [1♂ TUA] ; HA TINH: Vu Quang N. P., 18°17'41"N 105°25'42"E, 119 m alt., 24.IX–5.X.2009, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries leg. [1♂ 2♀ RMNH] ; Vu Quang, Vu Quang NP, sand area, 18°19'30"N 105°23'8"E, 30 m, 8.VII.2023, TXL [= Truong Xuan Lam], NTPL [= Nguyen Thi Phuong Lien], NQC [= Nguyen Quang Cuong] & TTN [= Tran Thi Ngat]

leg. [2♂ IEBR]; THUA THIEN HUE: Bach Ma, ca. 800 m alt., 10.VI.2002, Y. Arita leg. [1♀ TUA]; KON TUM: Kon Plong Distr. , Dak Long, nr. Thac Pa Sy Water Fall, 1100 m, 17.IV.2016, K. Harusawa leg. [1♀ OMNH] .

Identification source. Compared with types [ TARI] .

Previous record. This species was recorded from Ha Tinh and Vinh Phuc by Nguyen & Dang (2024) and Okayasu et al. (2018).

Distribution. China. Vietnam: Cao Bang *, Bac Kan *, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi *, Quang Ninh *, Hai Phong *, Ninh Binh *, Ha Tinh, Thua Thien Hue*, Kon Tum *.

Occurrence in Vietnam. April, June to October, December. South China-Vietnam subtropical evergreen forests, Northern Indochina subtropical forests, Red River freshwater swamp forests, Northern Vietnam lowland rain forests, and Northern Annamites rain forests, Southern Annamites montane rain forests ecoregions. 30–1100 m alt. Sand area.

Sex association. This species was described from both sexes collected in copula.

Remarks. The nominotypical subspecies is distributed in Taiwan. Among the Vietnamese Trogaspidia , the male of this species is readily identified by having the clypeus armed with a strong medial ridge and metasomal segments 1–3 or 2–3 orange. Females are, contrarily, characterized by less conspicuous traits.