An annotated and illustrated Type Catalogue of the predacious Shieldbugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae) in the Collection of the Natural History Museum, London

We present an annotated and illustrated type catalogue of the predacious shieldbugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae), housed in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London. This work involves recognising types and their status, recording their label data and providing images of both the types and their labels. Although we personally refrain from designating lectotypes as the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature recommends that it should be done “as part of a revisionary or other taxonomic work” (ICZN 1999: Recommendation 74G), we have nevertheless accepted that lectotypes were designated before 2000 (see ICZN 1999: Art. 74 §§ 5 and 6), for the following 43 species: by Distant (1880) for Apateticus halys Dallas, Arma fuscescens Dallas, Arma modesta Dallas, Arma tincta Dallas, Oplomus rutilus Dallas, Oplomus ventralis Dallas, Stiretrus ornatus Dallas, Stiretrus ruficeps Dallas; by Synave (1969) for Mecosoma floridum Distant and Podisus volxemi Distant; by Thomas (1992) for Arma ampla Walker, Arma grandis Dallas, Arma lateralis Walker, Arma nigrispina Dallas, Arma obscura Dallas, Mormidea semialba Walker, Oplomus equestris Distant, Oplomus festivus Dallas, Oplomus nigripennis Dallas, Oplomus pulcher Dallas, Oplomus stellatus Distant, Oplomus violaceus Dallas, Platynopus conspersus Walker, Podisus amulae Distant, Podisus falcatus Distant, Podisus gaumeri Distant, Podisus insignis Distant, Podisus nigriventris Distant, Podisus sculptus Distant, Podisus smithi Distant, Stiretrus annulatus Distant, Stiretrus caeruleus Dallas, Supputius typicus Distant, Tynacantha marginata Dallas, Tynacantha splendens Distant, Zicrona cuprea Dallas and Zicrona marginella Dallas; and by Thomas (1994) for Anasida funebris Distant, Damarius bicolor Distant, Neoglypsus opulentus Distant, Neoglypsus viridicatus Distant, Incitatus primus Distant, and Jalloides versicolor Distant.

We have also found out that Synave (1969) had designated the lectotype of Glypsus erubescens Distant before Linnavuori (1975). A syntype of Oplomus distinctus Distant, 1880 is located and Thomas’s (1992: 57) synonymy of this species with O. catena (Drury, 1782) is confirmed. Informations regarding labels used by the first five curators of Hemiptera at the Natural History Museum, London (Adam White, William S. Dallas, Francis Walker, William L. Distant and William E. China) are provided.

In total, we list herein 248 specimens examined in NHMUK (49 holotypes, 41 lectotypes, 84 syntypes, 17 paratypes, 25 paralectotypes, and 32 non-types which are historical specimens), representing 149 nominal species or 104 currently valid species (ca. 34% of the just over 300 valid Asopinae species worldwide).