Traumatomutilla infernalis ( 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 : 36-39

Traumatomutilla infernalis ( Gerstaecker, 1874)

Fig. 10

Mutilla infernalis Gerstaecker, 1874: 318 .

Mutilla floccosa Gerstaecker, 1874: 314 . Syn. nov.

Ephuta (Traumatomutilla) infernalis – André 1902: 55.

Ephuta (Traumatomutilla) floccosa – André 1902: 55.

Traumatomutilla infernalis – André 1904: 40.

Traumatomutilla floccosa – André 1904: 40.

Diagnosis

Female

Unknown.

Male

Cuspis with long setae apically; cuspis length 0.85 × length of paramere; posterior margin of penis valve evenly convex; lateral surface of propodeum with sparse erect silvery-white seta; metapleuron setae black; wings strongly dark brown infuscated throughout, with strong violaceous and blueish reflections; propodeum and metasoma silvery-white setae sparse, never obscuring integument completely.

Type material

Lectotype of Mutilla infernalis

BRAZIL • ♂; S. Brasilien [ Southern Brazil ]; Sello S. leg.; ZMB.

Holotype of Mutilla floccosa

BRAZIL • ♂; Brazil; S. Sello leg.; ZMB.

Other material examined (8 ♂♂)

BOLIVIA • 3 ♂♂; Pando, Guayaramerín ; Dec. 1956; Fritz leg.; AMNH .

BRAZIL • 1 ♂; Mato Grosso do Sul, Tres Lagoas, Horto Rio Verde ; 19 Jul. 1994; Fletchmann leg.; FEIS .

PARAGUAY – San Pedro • 1 ♂; Río Ypané, Cororo ; 5–9 Dec. 1983; M. Wasbauer leg.; UCDC • 1 ♂; Río Ypané ; Nov. 1979; Fritz leg.; AMNH .

Description

Female

Unknown.

Male

BODY LENGTH. 12 mm.

HEAD. Transversely subrectangular with posterolateral angles rounded in dorsal view; lateral margins of head convergent immediately behind eyes. Vertex width 0.86× pronotal width. Eye almost circular. Ocelli small; OOD 4.3× DLO, IOD 1.0 × DLO. Occipital carina distinct. Head surface punctate; sculpture sparser and finer posterad. Gena ecarinate. Antennal scrobe concave to eye margin, with well-defined transverse dorsal scrobal carina. Clypeus concave laterally immediately below antennal insertion, conspicuously convex medially; densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate, coarser mediad; apical/ventral margin with a pair of medial short subacute free teeth medially. Scape bicarinate. Flagellomere 1 2.1 × pedicel length; flagellomere 2 2.6× pedicel length. Mandible obliquely tridentate apically, medial tooth smaller than inner tooth; lacking dorsal or ventral projections.

MESOSOMA. Epaulets moderate, connected to well-defined humeral carina by feeble interrupted carina, anterolateral corners of pronotum subangulate. Anterior surface of pronotum, with coarse dense punctures laterally, micropunctures sublaterally, and medial longitudinal, slightly concave, smooth, unsculptured area. Tegula convex, mostly glabrous and impunctate except for dense coarse punctures along inner and anterior margin. Dorsum of pronotum densely and coarsely foveolate-punctate mediad to areolate-punctate laterad with somewhat sharp intervals. Mesoscutum densely and finely foveolate-punctate, parapsis and notaulus reduced to posterior half of mesoscutum. Mesoscutellum ‘box-like’, with conspicuously horizontal dorsal surface roundly angulate into nearly vertical posterior surface; dorsal surface shorter than posterior surface; sculpture densely and coarsely areolatepunctate to foveolate-punctate. Axilla produced posterolaterally as obliquely truncate projection in dorsal view; projection coarsely foveolate-punctate basad, unsculptured, smooth, shining apicad. Metanotum slightly wider laterad, its surface obscured by dense setation. Propodeal dorsum convex, slightly depressed sublaterally, mostly concealed by dense setation, densely areolate where visible; sculpture of lateral surface absent along most of anterior margin; dorsal surface indistinguishable from posterior surface. Lateral surface of pronotum sparsely obscurely punctate with sparse interspersed micropunctures; mesopleura with conspicuous blunt projection on dorsal half; sculpture densely and coarsely areolate with interspersed micropunctures to simply micropunctate anterad. Metapleuron micropunctate, except basal third densely and coarsely areolate.

WINGS. Forewing with elongate sclerotized pterostigma; marginal cell elongated, roundly truncate apically; three submarginal cells.

LEGS. Simply setose, no strong spines discernible dorsally; spurs finely serrate on margins.

METASOMA. T1 0.45 × as wide as T2. T2 0.85 × as long as wide. Dorsal metasomal sculpture, except pygidial plate, partially concealed by dense setation, sparsely and finely punctate with sparse interspersed micropunctures where visible; sculpture sparser and less defined in apical segments; pygidial plate slightly broader than long, weakly defined by parallel carinae laterally; surface densely micropunctate throughout. S1 longitudinally elevated medially, terminating in slightly concave low longitudinal carina, carina slightly higher posteriorly. S2 sparsely and finely foveolate-punctate to punctate with few scattered micropunctures laterally; sculpture sparser mediad; anteromedial crest-fold present, sternal pit absent. S3–7 sparsely and finely foveolate-punctate to punctate; S7 longer than broad, posterior margin projected medially into closely bidentate apex.

GENITALIA. Parapenial lobe not at all pronounced posteriorly, subacute. Ratios of free length of paramere, cuspis and digitus, 118:101: 33. Paramere almost straight in dorsal view, apex slightly curved outward, slighlty narrower posterad, upcurved posteriorly in lateral view, almost asetose except for sparse scattered inconspicuous setae throughout, setae more evident on ventral surface. Cuspis slender, elongate, slightly curved outward and tapered posterad in dorsal view, upcurved posterad and slightly wider apically in lateral view, with tuft of conspicuous long setae at apex and sparser scattered inconspicuous short setae elsewhere. Paracuspis poorly developed, sessile, lobe-like, wider than long with slightly flattened sparsely setose posterior margin, setae longer than paracuspis. Digitus short, slightly curved inward in dorsal view, strongly tapered posterad and with apex slightly upcurved in lateral view, setose anterodorsally. Penis valve strongly concave on inner surface, with well-defined pair of short acute teeth posteroventrally, lateral pocket on outer margin greatly reduced, apical distance between teeth 0.1× length of valve, dense setae present along convex posterior margin and inconspicuous setae present at base of anterior tooth on outer surface.

Coloration and variations

Female

Unknown.

Male

Integument black. Body setae predominantly black varying in density, except the following areas with silvery-white setae varying in density: posterior half of propodeal dorsum, T1, fringe of T2 laterally, and anterior third of S2.

Distribution

Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul), Bolivia (Pando), and Paraguay ( San Pedro).

Remarks

Traumatomutilla infernalis is almost indistinguishable from T. pompiliformis apart from the length of the cuspis in relation to the length of the paramere and minor characters of the penis valve and setae pattern. Based on distribution this could be a putative male for T. sancta . A female of T. sancta and a male with an intermediate color pattern between T. infernalis and T. pompiliformis were collected in the same pitfall trap in a Cerrado area in Mato Grosso State, Brazil (PRB pers. obs.). This could mean that T. sancta , T. infernalis and T. pompiliformis are all a single moderately variable species. However, we refrain from formally synonymizing all of these species without further intermediate forms between the males, more distribution data and/or molecular data supporting the sex association.

Figures

Fig. 10. A–H Traumatomutilla infernalis (Gerstaecker, 1874), holotype, ♂ (ZMB). A. Dorsal habitus. B. Lateral habitus. C. Genitalia (halved), dorsal view. D. Genitalia, (halved), ventral view. E. Genitalia (halved, penis valve removed), lateral/inner view. F. Cuspis (removed, not to scale), lateral/inner view. G. Penis valve (removed, not to scale), lateral/outer view. H. Type labels. I–P. Traumatomutilla floccosa (Gerstaecker, 1874), holotype, ♂ (ZMB). I. Dorsal habitus. J. Lateral habitus. K. Genitalia (halved), dorsal view. L. Genitalia, (halved), ventral view. M. Genitalia (halved, penis valve removed), lateral/ inner view. N. Cuspis (removed, not to scale), lateral/inner view. O. Penis valve (removed, not to scale), lateral/outer view. P. Type labels. Scale bars: A–B = 2 mm; I–J = 5 mm.