Critical analysis of the type material of Mutillidae described from the Australasian Region (Hymenoptera)
Author
Brothers, Denis J.
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-05-23
5140
1
1
215
http://zoobank.org/9f5b1308-eca4-42b5-867b-c1ac091acc33
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5140.1.1
1175-5326
6572181
9F5B1308-ECA4-42B5-867B-C1AC091ACC33
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.