The ant genus Odontomachus Latreille in the United States is reviewed. Six species are treated: O. brunneus (Patton), O. clarus Roger, O. desertorum Wheeler stat. nov., O. relictus Deyrup and Cover, O. ruginodis M.R. Smith, and O. haematodus (Linnaeus), a new record for North America. The spread of O. haematodus is documented, and its identity is clarified. The genus is diagnosed for species in the Nearctic region for all castes, and worker- and male-based keys are presented. The workers and males of all six species are described and figured, including the first male descriptions for O. haematodus and O. desertorum. This represents the first study of species-level variation in Odontomachus male genitalia, and one of the first of such studies of the Ponerinae for any biogeographic region. A discussion of the utility of the male sex for Odontomachus taxonomy is provided.

Anabarhynchus Macquart (1848) is a species-rich gen of therevine Therevidae, with over 90 species described from Australia alone. Over the past two decades, extensive and intensive malaise trap surveys have revealed that the continent contains many additional species to the previous 94 species known; making that genus one of the most species-rich therevid genera in the world. Specimens of these new species are deposited in Australian collections, notably the Australian Museum (AM), Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC), and the Queensland Museum (QM). Here we describe, diagnose and illustrate ten new species in the genus Anabarhynchus as follows: Anabarhynchus doncollessi sp. n., Anabarhynchus ewamin sp. n., Anabarhynchus lyneborgi sp. n., Anabarhynchus parilus sp. n., Anabarhynchus parkeri sp. n., Anabarhynchus pilbara sp. n., Anabarhynchus ravenshoensis sp. n., Anabarhynchus shiptonsflatensis sp. n., Anabarhynchus tribulationensis sp. n., Anabarhynchus weipaensis sp. n. These new species add to the faunas known from arid and monsoon tropical Australia.

Assassin or robber flies belong to the family Asilidae, one of the most diverse fly families, with over 7400 described species worldwide. Adults are predators on mostly smaller insects which they catch on the wing; larvae are predators on soft bodied arthropods in the soil or rotting wood, usually beetle (Coleoptera) larvae, often curl or white grubs (Scarabaeidae). Predation by larval and adult Asilidae puts downward pressure on populations of their prey above and below ground. Because asilid larvae are cryptic, the immature stages of few species have been described, thus hampering our ability to identify larvae. We describe and illustrate the late instar larva and pupa of one of Australia's largest and most impressive asilid species, Blepharotes splendidissimus (Wiedemann) (Asilinae: Apocleini). Taxonomically useful variation in asilid larvae so far described occurs in the head and its appendages. We have examined the fine detail of the larval head capsule and mouthparts using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the first time in Asilidae. The larva and pupa of B. splendidissimus are similar to other Asilidae but larger and more robust. The larva has a broad maxillae and long narrow mandibular hooks with an acute tip armed with a row of recurved spines. Our SEM studies detail the grooves on the inner surface of the mandible that form a feeding channel when the mandibles are appressed. Thus, the mandibular hooks are the insect equivalent of a Swiss army knife, with at least four functions: to pierce the prey, hold the prey, inject venom and extract nutrients from the prey. Asilid pupae have a well-developed armature on the head, thorax and abdominal tergites, for drilling up out of the soil on adult eclosion. The pupa has distinct anterior and posterior antennal spinous processes and anterior and posterior mesothoracic spinous processes, and the tip of the abdomen has large, dorsally curved dorsal posterolateral processes and very small ventral posterolateral spinous processes. All the dorsal armature on the pupal abdominal segments are articulated spurs, rather than a mixture of fixed spines and spurs, as found in many asilid pupae.