male mutillid - Dasymutilla archboldi

Dasymutilla

Like George said, the genus is Dasymutilla; a bit confusing because of the reflection on the eye and the fact that most Eastern Dasymutilla have their entire thorax black. The shape of the petiole separates it from Timulla, and the shape of the head separates it from Sphaeropthalma pensylvanica.

This species is probably D. archboldi based on coloration, range, and punctation of the tegulae. The sex association for these is somewhat confusing, mainly because the males are so much bigger than the females.

… Kevin Williams, 22 November, 2008 - 7:35pm

I have females, they're tiny.

I have females, they're tiny... well, for stuff I collect. I'll probably get some more if you'd like them

… Will Chatfield-Taylor, 22 November, 2008 - 7:48pm

Awesome

Timulla, not sure what species, I'm just starting to learn how to ID the genus to species. Kickass photo, what are you using for your photography?

… William Ericson, 19 November, 2008 - 12:03pm

Thank you. I'm using a Canon

Thank you. I'm using a Canon eos 40d with a 100mm macro lens and a homemade bracket to get an external flash right to the end of the lens. Still tinkering with the setup, and think that I'm going to add another flash and use a tripod when possible, but this was taken handheld at f13.

… David Almquist, 19 November, 2008 - 12:44pm

Dasymutilla sp.

The round eyes, node-like petiole and the pterostigma ID this one as Dasymutilla.

It looks pretty distinctive, but I don't know the species either. I don't know the Florida fauna too well.

… George Waldren, 19 November, 2008 - 9:10pm

woops thought I saw the notch

woops thought I saw the notch on the eye, my bad, woops, that was bad. :( sorry about that.

… William Ericson, 19 November, 2008 - 9:47pm

No prob man, I had to look tw

No prob man, I had to look twice since I thought it could be a Timulla at first glance!

… George Waldren, 19 November, 2008 - 10:04pm

nah, that was seriously dumb

nah, that was seriously dumb on my part.

… William Ericson, 19 November, 2008 - 11:06pm

Is another angle needed?

Should I take another shot that clearly emphasizes the shape of the eye to clear this up? I'm hoping to get back in the lab next week and could do this if it would help clear things up. Thanks again for your time and expertise.

… David Almquist, 19 November, 2008 - 10:45pm

A face shot would be awesome,

A close up of the face would be awesome, especially if we could see the teeth on the mandibles, and shots of the tergite and sternite segments of the abdomen, and a picture of the genetalia would be good to, these are pretty general photos that help with the overall identification of Mutillidae. Another good shot would be from above, looking down at the head and thorax.

… William Ericson, 20 November, 2008 - 2:44pm