Eurymutilla affinis, (Westwood, 1843) (Westwood, 1843)

Brothers, Denis J., 2022, Critical analysis of the type material of Mutillidae described from the Australasian Region (Hymenoptera), Zootaxa 5140 (1), pp. 1-215 : 16

affinis ( Fig. 16 )

Mutilla affinis Westwood , 1843.07.01: 18, pl. 54 fig. 2; ♀.

This taxon was described from an unspecified number of female specimens (probably only one specimen was involved since no variation was mentioned and a single reference number was cited) collected in “Nova Hollandia” (collector unspecified) and in NHMUK, No. 550. There is a single female specimen so identified in that collection; it has appropriate collecting data, bears the number cited by Westwood and agrees with the description. There is no determination label by Westwood, but one written by Turner. There is one female specimen in OUMNH which bears a determination label by Westwood giving a reference to the description and which has previously been labelled as a type. It was collected in “Adelaide” and is from the Hope-Westwood Collection. Despite the presence of Westwood’s determination label (in a style similar to that for undoubted type specimens of species described at the same time, e.g. Mutilla concinna ), this specimen has no type status because there is no mention of any such specimen in the original description. The specimen in NHMUK is thus evidently the holotype and it bears the following labels: “Type / H.T.” [circular, red margin, typeset]; “550 / a // N[ew].Holl[and].” [handwritten]; “ Mutilla / affinis / Type Westw[ood]. / See Arc[ana]. Ent[omologica]. / II.18. RET[urner]” [R.E. Turner’s handwriting]; “B.M.TYPE / HYM. [typeset] / 15-602. [handwritten, blue ink]”; “ HOLOTYPE / Mutilla affinis ♀ / Westwood 1843 / det. D.J.Brothers 1981” [my handwriting]. I have no information which could assist in refining the type locality, which is thus Australia .

This is the type species of Eurymutilla Ashmead, 1899 and is therefore currently placed in that genus.

Figures

FIGURES 13–17. Type specimens of Australasian Mutillidae. 13. Ancistrotilla aenigmatica Brothers, 2012, ♂, holotype: ha- bitus dorsal view, habitus lateral view. 14. Mutilla aerata André, 1896, ♀, holotype: habitus dorsal view, habitus lateral view, labels. 15. Mutilla aeruginosa Smith, 1879, ♂, lectotype: habitus dorsal view, labels. 16. Mutilla affinis Westwood, 1843, ♀, holotype: habitus dorsal view, head dorsal view, habitus lateral view, labels. 17. Mutilla afflicta André, 1902, ♀, holotype: ha- bitus dorsal view, labels.