Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/90642

During 1965 to 1983, Hokkaido University undertook several entomological expeditions to various parts of Nepal. Specimens are preserved in the Hokkaido University Insect Collection (SEHU), providing valuable resources for better understanding of the velvet ant fauna of this rarely explored country with only eight recorded species in seven genera. This collection included 49 velvet ant specimens. The aim of this paper is to present its outline as the first attempt to assess the potential diversity of velvet ants in this country. Two genera of the tribe Zeugomutillini Waldren, 2023, Strangulotilla Nonveiller, 1979 and Zeugomutilla Chen, 1957, are newly recorded from Nepal. Two new species, S. dubia (♂) and Z. curvicarinata (♀), are described from Chitwan, Bagmati. These new species are similar to Indian and Sri Lankan congeners but can be distinguished based on morphology. A list of Nepalese specimens in SEHU is given. This collection included 24 morphospecies in 15 genera, exceeding the known diversity by three times.