Acrophotopsis paratropicalis Williams, 2025

Acrophotopsis paratropicalis Williams , sp. nov., ♂

( Figs 121–122 View FIGURES 119–124 , 141–144 View FIGURES 125–147 , 168–171 View FIGURES 164–175 )

Diagnosis. MALE. This species can be immediately recognized by the paramere, which is moderately flattened and has few thick bristles along the outer margin that do not surpass the paramere apex ( Figs 168–169 View FIGURES 164–175 ). The following characters are also useful for diagnosis: frons with its raised triangular carina directly above the clypeus ( Fig. 142 View FIGURES 125–147 ); pronotum with suture weakly interrupted between epaulets; legs mostly orange-brown, only slightly lighter than mesosomal cuticle ( Figs 121–122 View FIGURES 119–124 ); metasoma largely blackened, at least around felt lines on T2 ( Figs 121–122 View FIGURES 119–124 ); and cuspis relatively short without specialized curved bristles along inner margin and with elbowed region along outer margin ( Figs 168–169 View FIGURES 164–175 ). Body length 8–11 mm. FEMALE. Unknown.

Description. Male. Coloration. Head, mesosoma, and first metasomal segment uniformly orange-brown; legs and antennae only slightly lighter orange-brown; metasomal segments 2–7 variably darkened, usually with tergal and sternal discs blackish-brown and somewhat darker than orange-brown tergal and sternal fringes, often with T5–7 mostly orange-brown and S2 with mesal lighter orange-brown irregular patch. Body setae entirely pale silvery, slightly orange-tinted on mesoscutum. Head. Head rounded, lateral margins of vertex convergent directly behind eye, post-ocular distance 0.65 × dorsal eye length; head width 0.95 × mesonotal width; vertex width 0.85 × mesonotal width. Head smooth with sparse small punctures; frons without raised triangular ridge directly above clypeus. Ocelli large; OOD 1.4 × DLO, IOD 0.5 × DLO. Antennal scrobe with short dorsal carina and small tubercle. Clypeus concave mesally, with sparse punctures, with setose upcurved transverse anterior ridge. Scape unicarinate. F1 length 2.3 × pedicel length; F2 length 3.0 × pedicel length. Mandible vertical throughout its length; apically tridentate and widely dilated beyond excision, deeply excised beneath with large rounded ventral tooth; dorsal carina complete, terminating at large inner apical tooth. In lateral view, ratio of eye height, mandibular height at ventral tooth, mandibular height at excision, and mandibular height at inner apical tooth: 10:5:3:5. Mesosoma. Epaulet placed in transverse ovate sulcus; epaulet sulci clearly separated by punctation.Anterior surface of pronotum punctate like dorsal and lateral surfaces. Tegula convex, mostly smooth and impunctate with dense punctures along anterior and inner margins. Mesoscutum densely areolate-punctate; notaulus and parapsis distinct, obliterated from anterior half of mesoscutum. Mesoscutellum convex, slightly more coarsely areolate than mesoscutum. Propodeum with dorsal, lateral, and posterior surfaces scarcely differentiated, shallowly areolate; enclosed area irregular, two areolations long. Mesopleuron mostly areolate, areolations mostly obliterated directly above procoxa and mesocoxa; mesosternal area unarmed, with slightly finer sculpture than mesopleuron laterally. Metapleuron virtually smooth, with micropunctures and sparse setae. Mid and hind coxa unarmed. Marginal cell apically acute, 1.5 × length of stigma. Metasoma.T1 elongate sub-petiolate; areolate-punctate with dorsal sculpture largely obliterated; setae sparse, mostly brachyplumose, without plumose fringe. S1 without distinct longitudinal mesal carina. T2 disc punctures sparse, fine; S2 sculpture as on T2, scarcely swollen antero-mesally. T2 felt line linear, 0.6 × T2 length; S2 felt line distinct, 0.2 × T2 felt line length. Pygidial area wider than long, mostly smooth, not margined laterally, with distinct posterior fringe of short dense setae. Hypopygium wider than long; apical margin emarginate mesally; with raise anterolateral carina. Genitalia. In dorsal view, ratio of apical lengths of genitalic structures from anterior margin of parapenial lobe: free length of paramere, cuspis, digitus, penis valve, parapenial lobe: 100:69:46:48:41. Paramere dorsoventrally flattened, shallowly sigmoidal, with outer fringe of few thickened setae that do not surpass paramere apex; with inner brush of short dense setae just beyond cuspis apex. Cuspis length 0.45 × free paramere length, dorsoventrally flattened, apically dilated with angular elbowed outer margin, with dense long setae, setae along inner margin thicker than posterior setae. Paracuspis short, lobe-like, rounded, densely setose. Digitus cylindrical, asetose. Penis valve height 0.35 × penis valve length, highest mesally; with two subequal apical teeth, distance between teeth 0.11 × length of valve, sulcus between teeth shallowly rounded; apical margin with rows of distinct setae above each tooth; ratio of penis valve height at basal third, medial area, directly anterior to anterior apical tooth, and between apical teeth: 33:34:19:13.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype male. MEXICO, Sonora: 2 km E Alamos, Rancho el Palmarito, malaise trap, 470 m, 27°01.96'N 108°47.04'W, 24–31.II.2009, M.E. Irwin ( EMUS) GoogleMaps . Paratypes. MEXICO: Chihuahua: 15 mi SW Tejaban along Urique River , 16–18.V.1991, R. E. Stecker ( 1♂, CASC) ; Sinaloa: 5 mi W Guamuchil , 20.V.1962, F.D. Parker and L.A. Stange ( 1♂, UCDC) ; Sonora: 3 km NE Alamos, La Huerta Orchard , 27°01'N 108°54'W, 19–24.[??].2008, M.E. Irwin and O. Figuero ( 1♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps ; 20 km E Alamos, Rancho Palo Injerto , 28–31.VI.2007, M. E. Irwin and F. D. Parker ( 1♂ EMUS, DNA voucher JP686) ; 25 km NE Alamos, La Posa , malaise, 1062 m, 27°05.70'N 108°45.10'W, 11–16.X.2009, M.E. Irwin ( 1♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps ; 26 km E Alamos, Rancho Las Lajas, Arrollo El Limon , malaise, 427 m, 27°04.03'N 108°43.47'W: 1–4.IV.2007, M.E. Irwin and S.A. Meyer ( 2♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps ; 27.V.2008, M.E. Irwin and O. Figueroa ( 2♂, EMUS) ; 26 km E Alamos, Rancho Sotorijaqui , malaise, 427 m, 27°04.03'N 108°43.47'W, 1–4.IV.2008, M.E. Irwin and F.D. Parker ( 1♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps ; 30 km NE Alamos, Rancho Santa Barbara headquarters, malaise at water hole in wash, oak woodland, 1334 m, 27°07.27'N 108°43.3'W, 2– 4.IV.2008, M.E. Irwin and S.A. Meyer ( 4♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps ; 40 km E Alamos, Rancho El Cajon, malaise on sand bench of Rio Cuchujaqui , 420 m, 27°03.00'N 108°43.91'W, M.E. Irwin: 27–31.V.2007 ( 5♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps ; 1–4.X.2006 ( 1♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps ; 47 km ENE Alamos, 3.7 km ENE Rancho los Llanos, El Chalate , malaise at water in tropical deciduous forest, 700 m, 27°04.9'N 108°45.4'W, 1–6.VI.2007, M.E. Irwin ( 4♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps ; Alamos, Rancho Acosta, malaise in dry wash, tropical deciduous forest, 395 m, 27°01.57'N 108°55.37'W, 26.V–6.VI.2007, M.E. Irwin ( 1♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps . USA: Arizona: Pima Co. : Santa Rita Experimental Range , Florida Canyon , 31° 45'42"N 110° 50'43"W, 1646 m, Bjornstad and Sharkey ( 3♂ EMUS, 1♂ CSCA) GoogleMaps ; Santa Rita Mountains, Coronado National Forest, Florida Canyon , 31° 45'42"N 110° 50'42"W, 1339m, malaise trap, 11–15.VI.2007, S. D. Gaimari and D. Kinch ( 1♂ CSCA) GoogleMaps ; Santa Cruz Co. : 5 km W Peña Blanca Lake at Rt 39, Atascosa Mts , malaise in dry wash, 1263 m, 31° 23.47'N, 111° 06.84'W, 3–7.V.2004, M.E. Irwin and F.D. Parker ( 2♂, EMUS, DNA voucher JP84) GoogleMaps ; 15 km W Peña Blanca Lake at Rt 39, Atascosa Mts , malaise, vegetated wash, 1300 m, 31° 25.26'N 111° 09.80'W, 3–7.V.2004, M.E. Irwin and F.D. Parker ( 2♂, EMUS) GoogleMaps .

Etymology. From the ancient Greek para- “beside or near” and tropikos “tropical”. This species is known predominantly from the Sonoran–Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest ecoregion, which forms a transition between the Nearctic and Neotropical biogeographic realms.

Distribution. Mexico: Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora; USA: Arizona.

Remarks. This is the only species in the genus to lack an associated female. Most of the type material of this species was collected using malaise traps near Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Because female mutillids do not fly, they are rarely collected with malaise traps. The ITS1 sequences presented as Acr. dirce by Pitts & Wilson (2009) belong to this species. In Sonora , Mexico and Arizona, USA, this species overlaps in distribution with Acr. dirce . Of the 35 known specimens of Acr. paratropicalis , only 9 came from Arizona; these nine specimens came from two subtropical areas in the southern portion of the state, and all were collected in either May or June. The only other Acrophotopsis species in Arizona, Acr. dirce , is much more abundant and widespread. Over 1500 Acr. dirce specimens have been found in Arizona, spanning at least 11 counties. In Sonora , Acr. paratropicalis seems to dominate the sub-tropical area surrounding Alamos, but Acr. dirce is widespread in the desert habitats throughout this state.

Acrophotopsis paratropicalis is apparently most closely related to Acr. pumasunam sp. nov., which has similar coloration, particularly in the darkened metasoma and legs that are concolorous with the mesosoma. Other similarities are found in the male genitalia, the cuspis of both species is relatively short and has an elbowed outer margin. Acrophotopsis paratropicalis is distinct, however, in the shorter and sparser setae on the outer paramere margin and the absence of a raised carina on the frons. Furthermore, Acr. paratropicalis and Acr. pumasunam have widely divergent genetic distances in their ITS1 sequences (22 bp differences in 500 total bp). Their sequences, however, are more similar to each other than either of them is to any other Acrophotopsis species ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ).