Dentilla dehghanii Lelej, 2025

Lelej, Arkady S., 2025, Revision of the genus Dentilla Lelej in Lelej et Kabakov, 1980 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), Zootaxa 5633 (2), pp. 288-315 : 299-300

6. Dentilla dehghanii Lelej , sp. nov.

( Figs 29–32 , 42–44 )

Dentilla sp. : Dehghani et al. 2018: 1, ♂, ♀; Kassiri et al. 2021: 20, ♂, ♀.

Diagnosis. MALE. Ocelli large, OOD 2 × diameter of lateral ocellus. Head reddish-brown. Wings hyaline with darkened apex or preapical area. Anterior border of clypeus with narrow medial projection whose dorsal length about equal to its width. Basal half of T2 at least with dense separate punctures. POD:OOD ratio 0.8 × and more, ocelli large. Upper carina of mandible high. Longitudinal carina between antennal tubercles and base of clypeus well developed. First subbasal tooth of mandible with short carina approximately equal to or smaller than this tooth and much less than distance from base of this carina to base of mandible. T7 apex with weak notch. T1 length less than its maximal width. Lower subbasal lobe of mandible scarcely invaginated below, height of subbasal tooth less than smallest distance between notch and upper carina of mandible. Body length 7.2–9.9 mm. FEMALE. T2 with basal medial spot of pale setae. T4–5 with pale setae. Eyes located at about same distance from articulation of mandible and posterior margin of vertex. Ratio of smallest distance between eyes to longitudinal eye diameter 1.6–1.8 ×. Length T2 0.9–0.95 × its maximal width. T2 laterally strongly rounded. Pygidial area granulose at least in apical half. Mesosoma dorsally with reticulate punctures; scutellar scale small, without distinct tubercles around scutellar scale. Body length 6.4–7.2 mm.

Description. MALE. Body length 7.2–9.9 mm. Head width equal mesosoma width including tegulae. Clypeus deeply concave with narrow median process anteriorly and short acute basal median carina. Scape distinctly bicarinate beneath, upper ridge visible basally. Ocelli large, POD: OOD 0.8 ×; POD equal to maximal diameter of anterior ocellus; distance between posterior ocellus and posterior head margin 1.9 × POD. Frons with longitudinal median furrow. F1 1.4 × its width, 2.7 × pedicel, and 0.55 × F2, F2 1.1 × F3. Antennal sockets with arcuate carina. Mandible quadridentate with strong curved upper carina, with acuminated subbasal tooth beneath, first subbasal tooth of mandible with short carina approximately equal to or smaller than this tooth and much less than distance from base of this carina to base of mandible; first preapical tooth less than second preapical tooth, latter with tuft of setae beneath. Vertex sparsely punctate, genae densely punctate. Pronotal dorsum almost straight anteriorly, pronotal width 1.2 × propodeal width (on spiracle line). Metasternal process with medial carina, apically without denticles. Posterior coxae carinate inside. Tegulae slightly projecting over mesoscuto-scutellar suture, shining, glabrous, with a few punctures inside. Propodeum abrupt, reticulate with median dorsal longitudinal cell distinctly delimited posteriorly by carina interrupted medially. S1 carinate beneath, T1 0.85 × its maximal width; T2 with long lateral felt lines, S2 with very short one and approximately 3 × less than distance between felt line and posterior border of S2; T2 with dense large punctures, sparser on disc. T7 apically straight or with weak notch, densely punctured. Genitalia ( Fig. 32 ).

Head, palps, mesosoma, tegulae, legs, T1 basally, and S1 yellowish-red. Antenna yellowish-red. Mandible yellowish-red with dark denticles. Metasoma brownish. Meso- and metatibial spurs whitish. Wings hyaline with pale brown veins, forewing (distal of cells) slightly infuscated, darker toward anterior margin. Body and legs clothed with recumbent short and scattered long erect whitish pubescence; T2–6 and S2–6 with apical fringes of whitish setae which denser on T2; felt lines on T2 and S2 whitish.

FEMALE. Body length 6.4–7.2 mm. Head pale red, roundish, width equal to pronotum. Surface of vertex shiny, with wide dense punctuation, sparser on occipital area, gena densely punctate Eyes oval, large, clearly protruding from head profile and strongly convex; interocular distance 1.7 × maximum orbital diameter. Clypeus with prominent upper carina, clearly visible from above, ending in shiny basal tubercle. Mandible tridentate, ferruginous, weakly curved, darkish in apical half.Antennae entirely pale reddish, with curved scape. Mesosoma pale red, subrectangular, 1.2 × than broad; pronotum just slightly arched, with sharp angles, less rounded and evanescent than posterior ones; lateral margins wavy. Mesosoma dorsally shiny, with punctuation larger and denser than head; in posterior half, interpuctual spaces very small but protruding in jagged denticles, aligned in arcuate rows. Scutellar scale large and rounded. Pleurae with slightly punctate on mesopleural area. Propodeum feebly arched, without a distinct angle between propodeal and dorsal surface of mesosoma. Legs including calcaria pale red. Metasoma brown with reddish segment 1. Width of T1 0.45 × than T2. T2 sparsely and finely punctate, dorsally with variolate punctures that laterally are larger, denser, and sometime confluent. Pygidial area ( Fig. 44 ).

Pubescence on head yellowish, with recumbent yellowish short setae mostly on vertex; erect setae uniformly occurring, longer ones close to eyes and on occipital side; shorter erect setae occur also on clypeal margin and around upper carina, as well as on scapes, pedicels and F1, Mesosoma dorsally with recumbent yellowish setae, with long erect yellowish setae on lateral and posterior margins, shorter setae occur on dorsum and on pronotal margin. T2 with medial subbasal spot of whitish setae, with long erect scattered yellowish setae and brownish recumbent setae; posterior margin with yellowish-whitish fringe of short and recumbent setae, just slightly forward extended in middle. Pubescence of T3–5 mixed between long erect and short recumbent yellowish-whitish setae. Felt lines whitish, 1.2 × longer than their distance from posterior margin of T2.

Material examined. (6♂ 21♀). Type material. Holotype, ♂, Iran, Isfahan, Kashan , 34°01'37.98"ʹN 51°21ʹ19.86"E, 975 m, 16.IX.2013, R. Dehghani [ IBSS]. Paratypes, 5♂ and 21♀ with the same label [ IBSS] .

Distribution. Iran (Isfahan).

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Rouhullah Dehghani, who studied the importance of this species for human health and natural history in central Iran and collected the type series.

Natural history. ( Dehghani et al. 2018, Kassiri et al. 2021). During 2013–2015, 49 individuals stung by velvet ants in the residential areas of Kashan were studied. The identification of the stinging agent was made according to the morphological speciation of the insect samples collected in the houses of the injured. Stinging complications in individuals were studied according to the clinical manifestation and the time of stinging, which was from June to September. The stinging agent was identified as velvet ants, Dentilla sp. [ Dentilla dehghanii sp. nov. AL].

The first sign of the sting was a severe and sharp pain. The highest percentage of redness in individuals was 47% on the first day, and the lowest was 2% four or five days after the sting. Intense itching was one of the main symptoms of velvet ant stings. In the final stages of pain and itching, signs of hemolysis and bruising were observed as brown spots. Due to the high number of stings in the carpet weaving workshops, living rooms and bedrooms, it was concluded that this wasp is a domestic pest.

Figures

FIGURES 24–32. Dentilla, males. 24–28. D. dichroa, Iran, Shiraz. 29–32. D. dehghanii sp. nov., holotype. 24, 29. Habitus, dorsal view; 25, 31. Habitus, lateral view; 26, 30. Mandible; 27. Head, face veiw; 28. Genitalia, ventral view; 32. Genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 39–44. Dentilla, females. 39–41. D. speciosa Lelej, 1985, holotype. 42–44. D. dehghanii sp. nov., paratype. 39, 42. Habitus, dorsal view; 40, 43. Habitus, lateral view; 41, 44. Pygidial area, dorsal view.