Tropical and Subtropical Velvet Ants of the Genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with Descriptions of 45 New Species

Abstract

This study nearly doubles the number of recognized species and subspecies of Neotropical Dasymutilla (from 76 to 139). We include descriptions of 45 new species (21 from the female only, 23 from the male only, and one from both sexes), descriptions of the previously unknown males of D. pulchra (Smith 1855) and D. scaber (Fox 1894), and six new synonymies. New species are: D. argentea, D. atrata, D. baleygi, D. batui, D. bellatrix, D. bimaculata, D. boharti, D. brazilia, D. buenavista, D. campogrande, D. chalcocephala, D. chamela, D. chilcotti, D. chionothrix, D. cirrhomeris, D. citromaculosa, D. concordia, D. fimbriata, D. griswoldi, D. guanacaste, D. impressa, D. ionothorax, D. leve, D. loreto, D. mazatlanorum, D. mirabilis, D. mirapenis, D. modgudi, D. monstrosa, D. naranjo, D. niphopilis, D. nocticaro, D. parkerorum, D. rufipilis, D. sinaloa, D. sleipniri, D. spilota, D. spiniscapula, D. tomasi, D. truxali, D. twegeni, D. veracruz, D. wasbaueri, D. whartoni, and D. zoster. New synonymies are: D. fulgida Mickel 1928 and D. pallida Mickel 1937 under D. erythrina (Say 1836); D. atrifulva Mickel 1928 under D. nogalensis Mickel 1928; D. gaumeri Mickel 1937 under D. ocyrae (Cameron 1895); D. cobira (Cameron 1895) under D. proclea (Cameron 1895); D. ariadne (Blake 1871) and D. solola (Blake 1871) under D. toluca (Blake 1871); and D. bosquensis Rohwer 1912, D. columbiana Mickel 1928, D. errans (Blake 1871), D. sappho (Fox 1899) and D. texensis Rohwer 1912 under D. vesta (Cresson 1865). We also provide the first taxonomic key for the species of Neotropical Dasymutilla.