Distribution of the thistledown velvet ant (Dasymutilla gloriosa Saussure) in Baja California Sur with new records for the Gulf of California Southern Islands

Abstract

This study presents the first report of the occurrence of <i>Dasymutilla gloriosa</i> (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) on Carmen, Cerralvo (Jacques Cousteau), and San Marcos Islands, Baja California Sur. Additionally, we collected <i>D. connectens</i> and <i>D. gloriosa</i> on the mainland of the Peninsula at the Sierra Laguna Reserve, that corresponds to the geographical distribution of these <i>Dasymutilla</i> species. Several individuals were collected in the coastal dune zone and the sandy zones within the shrublands on the islands and sandy areas inside the xerophytic shrubland and deciduous forest at Sierra La Laguna. Two hypotheses were drawn about the arrival of the mutillids to the islands: 1) islands biogeographical history, and 2) anthropogenic influence.