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 (Andr) 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 (Andr) 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 (Andr, 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.