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Photo#132388
unknown Mutillid - Pseudomethoca - female

unknown Mutillid - Pseudomethoca - Female
Susquehannock State Park, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA
July 25, 2007
Size: ~1 cm
I, being a Mutillid enthusiast, was absolutely astonished and overjoyed to see this little gal running along in the midst of the riverside bluffs and forest trails of Susquehannock State Park. She was my first Pennsylvania mutillid, and to my even greater shock, I found my second PA mutillid two days later in a semi-urban streamside park. I may post pictures of her later, but we'll start with this lil lady.

Images of this individual: tag all
unknown Mutillid - Pseudomethoca - female unknown Mutillid - Pseudomethoca - female

Moved
Moved from Velvet Ants.

Pseudomethoca
The head and peiole on this identify it as Pseudomethoca. It will be very difficult to get a species ID, but you can try to key it out using Mickel's paper from 1935.

 
Thanks. Yeah, I had been thin
Thanks. Yeah, I had been thinking Pseudomethoca also based on the thoracic dorsum shape, among other things. Perhaps I will try to key it out -- what's the title of that paper though? It's not the "Taxonomic Investigations.." is it?

 
Im not sure
I dont know the exact title offhand, but it is something like "Descriptions of new species and new records of the mutillid genera Myrmilloides and Pseudomethoca".

There will be more.
You might try looking for mutillids along railroad rights of way through all kinds of habitats. The railbeds are often sandy, making great nesting habitat for mutillid hosts. I found mutillids regularly in Cincinnati in such situations. Keep up the good work!

 
Ah great!
Thanks for the comment. And coincidentally, the next unknown mutillid specimen I'm posting (which is going up right now) was found at a park that does have a railroad track running next to it. It's within my county of residence - a place I never expected to get mutillids - and I know I'll be heading back there again soon.