Revision of the Genus Oxyteleia Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

The genus Oxyteleia Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae: Scelioninae) is a widespread group found in the Indo-Malayan, Australasian, and Oceanian realms, generally distributed from India east as far as Fiji. All the known hosts of scelionines are eggs of arthropods, but the precise host of Oxyteleia has not yet been discovered. The species concepts are revised and a key to world species is presented. The genus comprises 26 species of which 24 are new to science. The genus Merriwa Dodd, 1920, is hypothesized to be a junior synonym (new synonymy) and its type species, O. quadridentata (Dodd) new combination (Indonesia, Malaysia), is redescribed. Oxyteleia subdentata (Kieffer) is treated as a junior synonym of O. bidentata (Kieffer) (new synonymy), and the species is redescribed. The following species are described as new: O. aenigma Taekul, new species (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam); O. alba Taekul and Johnson, new species (Malaysia); O. angularis Taekul and Johnson, new species (Malaysia); O. apektos Taekul and Johnson, new species (Papua New Guinea); O. arcuza Taekul and Johnson, new species (Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines); O. astricta Taekul and Johnson, new species (Solomon Islands); O. catheta Taekul and Johnson, new species (Solomon Islands); O. epidemosa Taekul, new species (Thailand, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam); O. fasciata Taekul and Johnson new species (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea); O. insula Taekul and Johnson, new species (Papua New Guinea); O. inthanona Taekul, new species (Thailand); O. johnsoni Taekul, new species (Fiji); O. lagunasis Taekul and Johnson, new species (Philippines); O. lenisa Taekul and Johnson, new species (Indonesia); O. lux Taekul and Johnson, new species (Philippines); O. obscura Taekul and Johnson, new species (Papua New Guinea); O. oecus Taekul, new species (Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Malaysia); O. pangasugana Taekul and Johnson, new species (Philippines); O. ponticulus Taekul and Johnson, new species (Indonesia); O. primata Taekul and Johnson, new species (Papua New Guinea, Philippines); O. rugosa Taekul and Johnson, new species (Philippines); O. scopulus Taekul and Johnson, new species (Fiji); O. solomona Taekul and Johnson, new species (Solomon Islands); O. striga Taekul and Johnson, new species (Papua New Guinea, Indonesia); O. talamasi Taekul, new species (Indonesia). The holotypes of the species Oxyteleia albipes (Kieffer), O. nitida (Kieffer), O. panchganii (Mani), and O. variipennis (Kieffer) could not be located, and these taxa are treated as nomina dubia. The greatest level of species richness is on the island of New Guinea with ten species. Despite its proximity, Oxyteleia has not been recorded from Australia.