Systematics of Old World Odontacolus Kieffer s.l. (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae s.l.): parasitoids of spider eggs

The genera Odontacolus Kieffer and Cyphacolus Priesner are among the most distinctive platygastroid wasps because of their laterally compressed metasomal horn; however, their generic status has remained unclear. We present a morphological phylogenetic analysis comprising all 38 Old World and four Neotropical Odontacolus species and 13 Cyphacolus species, which demonstrates that the latter is monophyletic but nested within a somewhat poorly resolved Odontacolus. Based on these results Cyphacolus syn. n. is placed as a junior synonym of Odontacolus which is here redefined. The taxonomy of Old World Odontacolus s.str. is revised; the previously known species O. longiceps Kieffer (Seychelles), O. markadicus Veenakumari (India), O. spinosus (Dodd) (Australia) and O. hackeri (Dodd) (Australia) are re-described, and 32 new species are described: O. africanus Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe), O. aldrovandii Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Nepal), O. anningae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Cameroon), O. australiensis Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), O. baeri Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), O. berryae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island), O. bosei Valerio & Austin sp. n. (India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka), O. cardaleae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), O. darwini Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Thailand), O. dayi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Indonesia), O. gallowayi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), O. gentingensis Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Malaysia), O. guineensis Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Guinea), O. harveyi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), O. heratyi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Fiji), O. heydoni Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Malaysia, Thailand), O. irwini Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Fiji), O. jacksonae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Cameroon, Guinea, Madagascar), O. kiau Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Papua New Guinea), O. lamarcki Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Thailand), O. madagascarensis Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Madagascar), O. mayri Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Indonesia, Thailand), O. mot Valerio & Austin sp. n. (India), O. noyesi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (India, Indonesia), O. pintoi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island), O. schlingeri Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Fiji), O. sharkeyi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Thailand), O. veroae Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Fiji), O. wallacei Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia, Indonesia, Malawi, Papua New Guinea), O. whitfieldi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (China, India, Indonesia, Sulawesi, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam), O. zborowskii Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Australia), and O. zimi Valerio & Austin sp. n. (Madagascar). In addition, all species of Cyphacolus are here transferred to Odontacolus: O. asheri (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Sri Lanka), O. axfordi (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), O. bhowaliensis (Mani & Mukerjee) comb. n. (India), O. bouceki (Austin & Iqbal) comb. n. (Australia), O. copelandi (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Thailand), O. diazae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Kenya), O. harteni (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Yemen, Ivory Coast, Paskistan), O. jenningsi (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), O. leblanci (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Guinea), O. lucianae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Ivory Coast, Madagascar, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe), O. normani (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (India, United Arab Emirates), O. sallyae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), O. tessae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), O. tullyae (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Australia), O. veniprivus (Priesner) comb. n. (Egypt), and O. watshami (Valerio, Masner & Austin) comb. n. (Africa, Madagascar). Two species of Odontacolus are transferred to the genus Idris Förster: I. longispinosus (Girault) comb. n. and I. amoenus (Kononova) comb. n., and O. doddi Austin syn. n. is placed as a junior synonym of O. spinosus (Dodd). Odontacolus markadicus, previously only known from India, is here recorded from Brunei, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The relationships, distribution and biology of Odontacolus are discussed, and a key is provided to identify all species