Dasymutilla thetis
| Dasymutilla thetis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Mutillidae |
| Genus: | Dasymutilla |
| Species: | D. thetis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dasymutilla thetis Blake, 1886
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sphaerophthalma thetis Blake, 1886 | |
Dasymutilla thetis, also known as the minute thistledown velvet ant, is a species of velvet ant known only from Arizona in North America.[1] It was first described by Charles A. Blake as Sphaerophthalma thetis in 1886.[2] Individuals are about 7 mm long.[1] Females are "clothed entirely with ivory-white setae."[3]: 405
Ecology
Dasymutilla thetis is part of a Müllerian mimicry complex among pale desert velvet ants, in which multiple unpalatable species share similar coloration to warn predators.[4] The pale (white) coloration of D. thetis may also serve a thermoregulatory function, helping individuals avoid overheating in hot desert habitats.[4] The synonymy—Dasymutilla candida being a junior synonym of D. thetis—was confirmed using both molecular and morphological evidence in a taxonomic revision of southwestern Dasymutilla species.[5] Like other velvet ants, D. thetis has a thick exoskeleton and delivers a painful sting, traits that are part of an effective defensive system against predators.[6]
Recent taxonomic reviews list D. thetis among the diurnal velvet ants found in the southwestern United States, particularly in California, Arizona, and Nevada.[7]
References
- ^ a b "Species Dasymutilla thetis". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ Blake, Charles A. (1886). Monograph of the Mutillidae of North America. Be. Paper 220.
- ^ Manley, Donald G.; Williams, Kevin A.; Pitts, James P. (2020-05-11). "Keys to Nearctic Velvet Ants of the Genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), with Notes on Taxonomic Changes since Krombein (1979)". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 122 (2): 335. doi:10.4289/0013-8797.122.2.335. ISSN 0013-8797.
- ^ a b Wilson, J. S., Sidwell, J. S., Forister, M. L., Williams, K. A., & Pitts, J. P. (2020). Thistledown velvet ants in the Desert Mimicry Ring and the evolution of white coloration: Müllerian mimicry, camouflage and thermal ecology. Biology Letters, 16(7), 20200242. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0242
- ^ Pilgrim, E. M., Williams, K. A., & Pitts, J. P. (2008). Sex association and synonymy in southwestern U.S. species of Dasymutilla (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 84(1), 57–68. https://doi.org/10.3956/2007-13.1
- ^ Schmidt, J. O., Schmidt, L. S., & Schmidt, D. K. (2021). The paradox of the velvet-ant (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 84, 327–337. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.84.68795
- ^ Williams, Kevin A. (2023-06-08). "Taxonomic updates for diurnal velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) in the United States of America". Zootaxa. 5301 (1): 105–123. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5301.1.5. ISSN 1175-5334.