Critical analysis of the type material of Mutillidae described from the Australasian Region (Hymenoptera)

Abstract

The type material of all species-group taxa described from the Australasian Region (including Wallacea) is discussed, and photographs of all extant primary type specimens are provided. To facilitate subsequent work and fix the identities of the taxa, 136 lectotypes are designated where appropriate. Type localities are traced and delimited as accurately as possible, and listed. The currently valid name for each taxon is provided and incorporated in a checklist of 324 species-group taxa. Although no critical revisionary taxonomic studies are involved here, ten new combinations for taxa which are obviously misplaced according to current generic concepts are provided: Bothriomutilla condonensis (Turner) comb. nov., from Ephutomorpha; Bothriomutilla doddi (Bingham) comb. nov., from Mutilla; Ephutomorpha lacinia (Smith) comb. nov., from Mutilla; Ephutomorpha xiphognatha (André) comb. nov., from Pseudomethoca; Odontomyrme cordatiformis (Turner) comb. nov., from Ephutomorpha; Odontomyrme elderi (Froggatt) comb. nov., from Mutilla; Odontomyrme fulvodorsalis (Turner) comb. nov., from Ephutomorpha; Odontomyrme haematogastra (André) comb. nov., from Ephutomorpha; Orientilla manni (Krombein) comb. nov., from Stenomutilla; Neotrogaspidia tricarinata (Zavattari) comb. nov., from Mutilla and Trogaspidia. A new synonymy is also proposed: Trogaspidia cooki (André, 1895) = Curvitropidia pulawskii Pagliano, 2020 syn. nov. Corrections of publication dates for several publications are made, and brief comments on the geographic distribution of the Australasian mutillids are also provided.

Love is in the air and beyond the ocean: Taxonomic review ofNeotrogaspidiaLelej (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae: Trogaspidiini) in Northeast Asia highlights its unique distributional pattern

“…2. Metasomal segments 1–3 and anterior half of segment 4 black and the remaining segments red (Brothers 2022: fig. 141).…”

“…3. Right penis valve with inner hook‐like projection, giving posteriorly bifid appearance (Brothers 2022: fig. 305).…”

“…Neotrogaspidia Lelej, 1996: 20, male/female; Lelej & Nemkov, 1997: 4; Lelej, 2002: 82; Lelej, 2005: 79; Lelej & Brothers, 2008: 39; Lo Cascio, 2015: 553; Brothers & Lelej, 2017: 96; Okayasu et al ., 2018: 304, female; Pagliano et al ., 2020: 253; Okayasu et al ., 2021: 86, male/female; Brothers, 2022: 145.…”

“…Protibial spur slender; mesocoxa evenly convex; metacoxa evenly convex with long sparse recumbent setae, without tubercle on inner margin. Metasoma with some anterior segments red and remaining segments black (except N. haemarrhoa with segments 1–3 black and remaining segments red; Brothers 2022: fig. 141); T2 postero‐lateral margin abruptly terminating (except N. haemarrhoa , N. hammeri and N. tricarinata with T2 posterolateral margin evenly convex); S2 evenly convex, medially with obscure longitudinal ridge; lateral felt line present on T2 but absent on S2; T7 medially with triangular convex impunctate space or slender convex impunctate line, sometimes posteriorly elevated into carina; T7 posterior margin truncate; S6 with weak lateral tubercle, represented by smooth convexity or minute sharp tubercle; S7 entirely exposed, 0.6× as long as S8, with lateral rounded tubercle; S8 mostly sclerotized with posterior membranous area evenly convex posteriorly; S8 with lateral longitudinal carina; left and right basiparameres ventro‐medial margins connected to form postero‐medial tongue‐like tubercle; parapenial lobe spatulate, not flexed; ventral portion of basiparamere strongly projecting posteriorly to connect volsella; cuspis stick‐like or short robust; digitus straight stick‐like, smaller than cuspis; paracuspis present, stick‐like; penis valve long slender, surpassing posterior 1/2 of paramere; right penis valve longer than left, posteriorly with hook‐like apex or with inner projection ( N. tricarinata ; Brothers 2022: fig.…”

“…The genus Neotrogaspidia Lelej, 1996 is a small taxon of the tribe Trogaspidiini Bischoff, 1920 ( sensu Brothers & Lelej 2017), with five valid species from the Australasian, Oriental and Palearctic Regions (Lelej 2005; Pagliano et al . 2020; Brothers 2022). The type species, N. pustulata (Smith, 1873), is the only species distributed in Northeast Asia.…”