That's a type of locknut (the original, 'old-fashioned' type). They can be removed along with the nut (note the diameter of the locking part is less than the distance across the flats of the nut). Next question will be 'can/should I reuse these?' and the answer--from a purely technical standpoint--is no, no locknut (or lockwasher) should ever be reused. The practical answer is yes, but use some threadlocker (blue, not red, else they have to be heated to remove--not good for the tensile strength of the stud). Those nuts are beveled on one side--like wheel stud nuts--and are expensive to replace (about $3-4 each IIRC). All the modern replacements I've seen use nylon insert locknuts, and they REALLY shouldn't be reused however I've done it for years using threadlocker ('Locktite') with never any problems. I only install new when the nut gets buggered-up.
When you fasten the hub back up, use a 'star pattern' sequence to tighten the nuts, preferably in a couple of torque steps--60ft-lbs then 100 ft-lbs, for example--like you do when you fasten a (non-knockoff) road wheel back to its hub.