Zavatilla xuzaifui Zhou, Lelej & Williams, 2018

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 : 82

Zavatilla xuzaifui Zhou, Lelej & Williams, 2018

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:54E9A955-7E1C-4EA8-9D5C-7F4C96A291A9

( Figs 28G, 28H)

Zavatilla xuzaifui Zhou, Lelej & Williams in Zhou et al., 2018b: 111, ♂ ♀, holotype ♂ (Shimen Forest Park, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China) [SCAU]; Pagliano et al. 2020: 295; Boutin & Vilhelmsen 2024: supplementary table S2, S3, ♀.

Material examined. 7♂ 2♀. Vietnam: CAO BANG: Tra Linh, Ho Thang Hen , 22°45'47"N 106°17'35"E, 618 m, 20.V.2023, NTPL [= Nguyen Thi Phuong Lien], TTN [= Tran Thi Ngat] & NQC [= Nguyen Quang Cuong] leg. [1♂ IEBR] ; LAO CAI: ca. 5 km SE Sapa village , 1500 m, 26.V–03.VI.1999, A. Lathrop leg., ROM 992022 [1♂ ROM] ; BAC KAN: Bac Can Prov., Ba Be National Park, Ba Be , 22– 23°N 105– 37°E, 200 m alt., 1.V.2006, R. Matsumoto leg. [1♂ OMNH] ; VINH PHUC: Tam Dao, Dai Dinh, Dibo lenden Thurong–Tinhthat Tay Thien , 21.470459°N 105.59072°E – 21.477303°N 105.611134°E, 120–220 m alt., O. Tominaga leg. [1♂ OMNH] ; HANOI: Ba Vi National Park , 700 m, 21°03'N 105°22'E, 19.IV.2002, K. Eguchi leg. [1♀ SKYC] ; NINH BINH: Cuc Phuong , 200–300 m alt., 4.VI.1997, R. Matsumoto leg. [1♂ OMNH], 5.VI.1997 [1♂ OMNH] ; NGHE AN: Ban Xan, 16.IV.1999, K. Eguchi leg. [1♀ SKYC]; Con Cuong, Pu Mat NP, Khe Choang RS, 18°57'44.8"N 104°41'03"E, 142 m, 1.IX.2020, TTN [= Tran Thi Ngat] leg. [1♂ IEBR] .

Identification source. Keyed using Zhou et al. (2018b) and compared with the original description.

Previous record. This species was described from Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang, and Vinh Phuc in Zhou et al. (2018b).

Distribution. China. Vietnam: Cao Bang *, Lao Cai *, Tuyen Quang, Bac Kan *, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi *, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh *, Nghe An *.

Occurrence in Vietnam. April to June, September to November. South China-Vietnam subtropical evergreen forests, Northern Indochina subtropical forests, Red River freshwater swamp forests, and Northern Vietnam lowland rain forests ecoregions. 120–1500 m alt. Forest.

Sex association. This species was described from both sexes because this is the only Zavatilla species occurring in Vietnam.

Remarks. This species represents the southernmost record of Zavatilla and occurs in the northern part of Vietnam. It is unclear if this suggests the southern limits of the distribution of the genus. Unlike other known species of Zavatilla , which have the body entirely black ( Zhou et al. 2018b), males of Z. xuzaifui have the first three metasomal segments orange ( Fig. 28H).