Sphaeropthalma ignacio Schuster Sphaeropthalma (Photopsis) ignacio Schuster, 1958. Ent. Amer. (n. s.) 37: 38. Male. Holotype data: 15 mi. N., San Ignacio, Lower California, Mexico, 24.Jun.1938, Michelbacher and Ross (CASC). Diagnosis of male. This species is recognized by the weakly excised mandibles that have weak a ventral tooth (Fig. 23), by an elongate marginal cell that is at least 1.75X the length of the stigma, and by the genitalia with a spatulate cuspis bearing bifid-tipped setae apically (Fig. 57), while lacking mesosternal processes, coxal processes, and a sternal felt line. Female. Unknown. Material examined. California, Riverside Co.: 1 male, 26.Sep–6. Oct.1969, 1 male, 16–17.Oct.1969. Distribution. Western Sonoran Desert into Baja California, Mexico. Remarks. This species could be confused with S. amphion (see the discussion of S. amphion). Sphaeropthalma ignacio was placed by Schuster (1958) in the S. albicincta species-group with S. arota (as S. helicaon and many synonyms), S. coaequalis, S. nokomis, S. pinales and S. bisetosa. Based on morphology, similarities in genitalia and Pitts et al. (2010), the S. albicincta species-group should be split into two separate groups. Sphaeropthalma ignacio should be placed in the newly designated S. lamyrus species-group along with S. jacala, which was previously placed in its own species group (Pitts and Parker, 2005), S. lamyrus, S. pinales and S. bisetosa. Sphaeropthalma arota, S. coaequalis, and S. nokomis should be placed into the S. arota species-group.

Published as part of Pitts, James P., Wilson, Joseph S., Williams, Kevin A. & Boehme, Nicole F., 2010, Nocturnal velvet ant males (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Deep Canyon, California including four new species and a fifth new species from Owens Lake Valley, California, pp. 1-34 in Zootaxa 2553 on page 24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.196847