1977] 
Brown — Odontomachus 
283 
During work on the revision of Odontomachus (Brown, 1976, 
Stud. Ent. 19:67-171) I had in hand a single specimen of this new 
species, the paratype from Guyana listed above. The specimen 
lacked both antennae, and in a complex as difficult as the haema- 
todus group, it was unwise to add yet another sibling species on 
the basis of a sample that might have been only a freak variant of 
O. bauri. Since the revision went to press, however, I have been 
able to study the 4 additional specimens from two widely separated 
hylaean localities, which convince me of the high probability that 
this phenon represents a distinct species. 
In the key to neotropical Odontomachus species (Brown, 1976, 
op. cit., p. 112), O. scalptus keys uneasily to couplet 3, first lug 
(O. yucatecus ) — “uneasily” because some O. scalptus samples have 
striation fairly distinct, even if “mixed”, over the anterior half of 
gastric tergum I. O. scalptus differs primarily from O. yucatecus in 
having the gastric dorsum distinctly and sharply, if finely, sculp- 
tured. 
The only other species with both mesonotum and gastric dorsum 
longitudinally striate is the sympatric O. caelatus, but this species 
is larger, has the gastric dorsum regularly striate (not punctulate), 
with a few, large, blunt hairs, and virtually obsolete pubescence. 
The appressed and decumbent pubescence of O. scalptus is abun- 
dant and conspicuous by contrast. 
Odontomachus turneri 
Dr. R. W. Taylor informs me in litt. that his recent researches 
in northern Queensland indicate that the variant of O. cephalotes 
having a densely punctulate or striate gastric dorsum and numer- 
ous standing hairs on the pronotum is actually a separate and dis- 
tinct species occurring in the area near the base of Cape York and 
westward to Arnhem Land and beyond, perhaps to the Kimber- 
leys. He finds it only in savanna or savanna woodland areas, and 
I recall that a form answering this general description is common 
nesting in termite hills in northern Queensland. Taylor writes that 
he has been calling this form O. turneri, but that it might possibly 
have a prior name ( semicircularis Mayr?). I have thought of this 
form as corresponding to Forel’s var. ajax, but since it shows con- 
siderable geographical variation, the whole situation needs re-study 
in the light of the new material now gathered in the Australian 
National Insect Collection. 
