Traumatomutilla austera ( Gerstaecker, 1874 )

Bartholomay, Pedro R., Williams, Kevin A., Cambra, Roberto A., Lopez, Vinícius M. & Oliveira, Marcio L., 2025, Revision of the Traumatomutilla quadrinotata species-group (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae, Sphaeropthalminae): new synonyms, sex associations, and a new species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, European Journal of Taxonomy 995, pp. 1-75 : 15-18

Traumatomutilla austera ( Gerstaecker, 1874)

Fig. 3

Mutilla austera Gerstaecker, 1874: 70 .

Mutilla sigillata Gerstaecker, 1874: 70 . Syn. nov.

Ephuta (Traumatomutilla) austera – André 1902: 54.

Ephuta (Traumatomutilla) sigillata – André 1902; 56.

Traumatomutilla austera – André 1904: 40.

Traumatomutilla sigillata – André 1904: 40.

Diagnosis

Female

Occipital carina equally wide throughout; anterolateral carinae absent in scutellar area; body setae black and silvery-white in color; lateral surface of propodeum densely but unevenly sculptured, with conspicuous unsculptured areas; T2 with two pairs of reddish integumental spots; mesonotum with a pair of posterolateral oblique dense setae patches.

Male

Unknown.

Type material

Lectotype of Mutilla austera

URUGUAY • ♀; [Salto], Salto Grande [Salto]; Sello S. leg.; ZMB.

Holotype of Mutilla sigillata

BRAZIL • ♀; [Rio Grande do Sul], Casapava [Caçapava do Sul]; Sello S. leg.; ZMB.

Other material examined (40 ♀♀)

BRAZIL – Distrito Federal • 1 ♀; MZSP • 1 ♀; Bráulio Dias leg.; AMNH. – Goiás • 4 ♀♀; MZSP • 1 ♀; Goyasz [Goiás]; n.o proc. [número de procedência] 18/242; MNRJ • 1 ♀; [unintelligible label]; MNHN • 1 ♀; Leopoldo Bulhões ; Dec. 1939; Spitz leg.; MNCN • 1 ♀; Trindade ; 1952; MNHN • 1 ♀; Goiânia; Dec. 1942; Gonçalvez leg.; AMNH. – Minas Gerais • 1 ♀; MZSP • 1 ♀; Reinhardt leg.; UMSP • 2 ♀♀; Reinhardt leg.; ZMUC • 1 ♀; Campos Gerais; MNHN • 1 ♀; Sertão de Diamantina, Fazenda das Melancias ; 10 Nov. 1902; E. Gounelle leg.; MNCN • 1 ♀; Sete Lagoas ; Reinhardt leg.; ZMUC • 2 ♀♀; Uberaba; SDEI • 1 ♀; E. Le Moult leg.; MNCN • 1 ♀; Ibiá ; 1965; C. Elias leg.; DZUP • 1 ♀; Passos; 16–22 Jan. 1963; C. Elias leg.; DZUP. – Paraná • 1 ♀; MZSP • 1 ♀; Carambehy [Carambeí]; 27 Jun. 1937; Westerman leg.; MZSP • 1 ♀; Ponta Grossa; Mar. 1946; Justus leg.; DZUP • 1 ♀; Parque Estadual da Vila Velha ; 3 Mar. 2012; L.P. Amaral-Neto leg.; DZUP. – São Paulo • 2 ♀♀; MZSP • 2 ♀♀; Nov. 1900; A. Hembel leg.; UMSP • 1 ♀; Campinas ; Feb. 1924; F.X. Williams leg.; UMSP • 2 ♀♀; [unintelligible label]; 1914; MNHN • 2 ♀♀; Jundiaí ; 15 Dec. 1960; MNRJ • 1 ♀; Iperó [sic], George Oeterer [sic]; 22 Nov. 1961; F. Grossmann leg.; MNCN • 1 ♀; São Paulo, Ipiranga [bairro Ipiranga]; Fev. 1910; H. Luederwaldt leg.; MZSP • 1 ♀; Corumbai; Sep. 1963; DZUP . – Locality unknown • 1 ♀; ZMUC .

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 14–16 mm.

HEAD. Posterior margin almost straight. Occipital carina evenly wide throughout. Vertex width 0.8× pronotal width. Eye almost circular, its length in frontal view 1.1× the distance from its ventral margin to mandibular condyle. Head densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate; sculpture sparser on gena and malar space. Genal carina present. Mandible oblique, tapering slightly towards apex, with small subapical tooth, unarmed ventrally. Dorsal scrobal carina well defined, reaching antennal tubercles and narrowly separated from lateral scrobal carinae. Antennal tubercle coarsely and irregularly rugose. Flagellomere 1 2.2× pedicel length; flagellomere 2 1.75 × pedicel length.

MESOSOMA. Mesosoma 0.9× as long as wide. Mesosomal dorsum densely and coarsely areolate-punctate with irregular intervals. Anterior surface of propodeum defined, short, slightly shorter than pronotal collar, coarsely striated longitudinally basad with dense coarse punctures dorsad; dorsal surface rounded into anterior surface in lateral view. Humeral carina well defined, projected dorsally, broadly separated from slightly projected rounded epaulet; anterolateral corners of pronotum angulate in dorsal view. Pronotal spiracle slightly projected from lateral margins of pronotum, rounded. Lateral surface of pronotum densely foveolate-punctate with micropunctures, except low blunt tubercle anteroventral in relation to pronotal spiracle; mesopleuron mostly concealed by dense setation, densely micropunctate anteriorly, and densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate to areolate-punctate on mesopleural ridge where visible; metapleuron completely concealed by dense setation, except dorsal fourth unsculptured, smooth and shining. Lateral surface of propodeum densely and coarsely areolate-punctate throughout with dull intervals. Ratios of width of humeral angles, pronotal spiracles, widest point of mesonotum, narrowest point of mesonotum and propodeum posterior to propodeal spiracles, 68: 76: 84: 57:60. Lateral margin of mesonotum strongly constricted anterior to propodeal spiracle, strongly diverging anterad, medially projected, into blunt process; post-mesonotal tubercle present, inconspicuous. Propodeal spiracle strongly projected from side of mesosoma. Post-spiracular area absent. Scutellar scale present, greatly reduced, as narrow as surrounding sculpture; anterolateral carinae absent. Propodeum gibbose in lateral view, surdorsal surface shorter than and poorly distinguished from posterior face.

METASOMA. Ratios of width of T1, width of T2 and length of T2, 35: 79: 78. Disc of T2 mostly concealed by dense setation, densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate to punctate with dense, interspersed coarse micropunctures where visible; sculpture sparser and micropunctures absent laterally and over integumental spots. T3–5 sculpture predominantly concealed by dense setation, densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate to simply punctate with interspersed micropunctures where visible; T6, except pygidial plate, almost concealed by dense setation, densely foveolate-punctate where visible. S1 sparsely, coarsely and confusedly foveolate-punctate, surface cuneiform, ending in short blunt longitudinal carina, equally high throughout. S2 densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate, sculpture conspicuously sparser mediad; anteromedial crest-fold present. S3–5 sculpture mostly concealed by dense setation, densely and finely foveolate-punctate with sparse micropunctures where visible; S6 sparsely foveolate-punctate. Pygidial plate subpyriform, defined by lateral carinae at apical fourth of plate; surface irregularly rugose; interstice apparently granulose.

Coloration and variations

Female

Integument black, except mandibles partially and antennal flagellomeres ventrally reddish-brown, and T2 with four reddish to orange integumental spots. Body setae predominantly silverygolden, except the following areas with black setae varying in density: malar space, gena, vertex posterolaterally, ventral surface of head; pronotum, mesonotum anteromedially, mesopleuron anteriorly, scutellar area, propodeal dorsum medially; T1 medially, disc of T2 (except integumental spots), fringe of T2–4 sublaterally, fringe of T5 medially, T6 medially, fringe of S4, and S5–6. Some specimens have the silvery-golden marking of the mesonotum larger, nearly confluent medially; silvery-golden setae greatly reduced on propodeal dorsum, nearly absent; venter of metasoma completely clothed with black to brownish-black setae, T6 completely clothed with black to brownish-black setae; medial marking of silvery-golden setae on T3 greatly reduced, nearly absent.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Brazil (Goiás, Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná, and Rio Grande do Sul) and Uruguay (Salto).

Remarks

Traumatomutilla austera has a distinct color pattern ( Fig. 3A–B, E–F ) that varies slightly in the mesosomal dorsum but has no intermediate forms with other known patterns. Certain specimens have patches of somewhat dense appressed silvery-white setae on the lateral surface of the propodeum that are also found in T. funebris and, more notably, in the Atlantic Forest species ( T. quadrinotata and T. tetratrauma sp. nov.). The structure of T. austera , however, is different from these species, being finer and homogeneous as opposed to the overall coarser sculpture of most species within the T. quadrinotata species-group. Based on distribution, T. austera is one of four possible candidates for association with T. infernalis or T. pompiliformis .

Figures

Fig. 3. A–C. Traumatomutilla austera (Gerstaecker, 1874), lectotype, ♀ (ZMB). A. Dorsal habitus. B. Lateral habitus. C. Type labels. D–F. Traumatomutilla sigillata (Gerstaecker, 1874), holotype, ♀ (ZMB). D. Dorsal habitus. E. Lateral habitus. F. Type labels. Scale bars = 2 mm.