Abstract
Velvet ants (Mutillidae) are one of the largest families of solitary wasps in the Aculeata (Hymenoptera) and divided into eight subfamilies. Their larvae are ectoparasitoids of the larvae or pupae of other Aculeata, females use the sting for arresting the development of the host, as well as for defense. The sting apparatus of Mutillidae consists of the same sclerites as in other aculeates but has certain features peculiar to this family. Here, we focus on the shape of sclerites, their relative positions and articulations in representatives of some mutillid subfamilies. Some morphological adaptations are described for the first time in the subfamily Myrmosinae. The anterior bridge and 2nd valvifer articulation are apomorphic features of Myrmosinae and the coiled sting and some associated features are apomorphic for Dasylabrinae, Myrmillinae and Mutillinae. The structure and movements of the sting apparatus are discussed as well as some aspects of function evolution of the differences between the subfamilies.
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This work was funded by the State Budget Program “Support for the Development of Priority Areas of Scientific Research” (Code: 6541230). The authors thank David R. Smith for the pdf version of the article (Hermann 1968) and the anonymous referees who provided useful input to an earlier version of the manuscript.
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Appendices
Appendix 1. Annotated species list of the females of Mutillidae
Dasylabrinae
Dasylabris maura (Linnaeus, 1758):
1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv Oblast, Hodosivka, 50.275000, 30.515000, 26.VII.04, leg. Nesterov; 1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv, Protasiv Yar, 50.422944, 30.500000, 20.VI.05, leg. Nesterov.
Dasylabris miogramma Skorikov, 1935:
1♀ – Ukraine, Kherson Oblast, Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, 46.457064, 31.988878, 08.VIII.14, leg. Kumpanenko; 1♀ – Ukraine, Kherson Oblast, Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, 46.457064, 31.988878, 09.VIII.14, leg. Kumpanenko.
Mutillinae
Mutilla europaea Linnaeus, 1758:
1♀ – Ukraine, Crimea, Karadag, 44.913728, 35.206025, 06.VIII.13, leg. Kumpanenko; 1♀ – Ukraine, (without any information).
Nemka viduata (Pallas, 1773):
1♀ – Ukraine, Kherson Oblast, Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, 46.457064, 31.988878, 09.VIII.14, leg. Kumpanenko; 1♀ – Ukraine, Kherson Oblast, Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, 46.457064, 31.988878, 11.VIII.14, leg. Kumpanenko.
Ronisia brutia (Petagna, 1787):
1♀ – Ukraine, Crimea, Yevpatoria, 45.193889, 33.368056, 20.VIII.04, leg.Kyyanytsya; 1♀ – Ukraine, Crimea, Karadag, 44.913728, 35.206025, pan trap, 10.VIII.13, leg. Kumpanenko; 1♀ – Ukraine, Crimea, Karadag, 44.913728, 35.206025, 06.VIII.13, leg. Kumpanenko; 1♀ – Ukraine, Cherkasy region, Troshchyn, 49.850861, 31.339750, 21.V.19, leg. Kumpanenko.
Smicromyrme rufipes (Fabricius, 1787):
1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv, Feofaniya park, 50.340414, 30.481318, 05.VI.19, leg. Kumpanenko.
Myrmillinae
Myrmilla (Myrmilla) caucasica (Kolenati, 1846):
1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv Oblast, Hodosivka, 50.275000, 30.515000, 20.VI.04, leg. Nesterov; 1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv Oblast, Hodosivka, 50.275000, 30.515000, 19.IX.04, leg. Nesterov; 1♀ – Ukraine, Cherkasy region, Troshchyn, 49.850861, 31.339750, 21.V.19, leg. Kumpanenko; 1♀ – Ukraine, (without any information).
Myrmilla (Pseudomutilla) glabrata (Fabricius, 1775):
1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv Oblast, Hodosivka, 50.275000, 30.515000, 26.VII.04, leg. Nesterov.
Myrmosinae
Myrmosa atra Panzer, 1801:
1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv Oblast, Trebuhiv, 50.490191, 30.938735, 13.X.18, leg. Kumpanenko; 1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv Oblast, Trebuhiv, 50.490191, 30.938735, 01.IX.19, leg. Kumpanenko.
Paramyrmosa brunnipes (Lepeletier, 1845):
1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv, Pirogiv, hillside, 50.352226, 30.512089, 23.VII.05, leg. Nesterov; 1♀ – Ukraine, Kyiv Oblast, Dibrova, 50.206125, 30.200872, 28.VIII.05, leg. Kyyanytsya; 2♀- Ukraine, Kyiv, Feofaniya park, 50.340414, 30.481318, 10–15.VI.18, leg. Kumpanenko.
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Kumpanenko, A., Gladun, D. & Vilhelmsen, L. Morphology of the sting apparatus in velvet ants of the subfamilies Myrmosinae, Dasylabrinae, Myrmillinae and Mutillinae (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Zoomorphology 141, 81–94 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-022-00552-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-022-00552-w