Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900

Pham, Nhi Thi, Long, Khuat Dang, Dzuong, Nguyen Van, Mai, Pham Quynh & Turrisi, Giuseppe Fabrizio, 2024, The genus Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Aulacidae) in Vietnam and Northeastern Laos with descriptions of ten new species, Zootaxa 5432 (2), pp. 213-249 : 214-215

Genus Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900

Type-species: Pristaulacus chlapowskii Kieffer, 1900

For taxonomic history, see Turrisi et al. (2009: 53).

The genus Pristaulacus was redefined by Turrisi et al. (2009) within a cladistic framework and is represented in all zoogeographic regions except Antarctica. It can be distinguished from Aulacus by the following combination of characters: occipital carina present (e.g. Figs 2C, 10C) (absent in Aulacus ), although there are exceptions— Turrisi et al. (2009) found that P. ornatus Kieffer has no occipital carina and A. grossi Jennings, Austin & Stevens has an occipital carina, and more recently A. bamagensis Jennings & Parslow was described with an occipital carina laterally, but absent medially ( Jennings et al. 2018); frons usually not sculptured above antennal sockets ( Figs 4B, 6B, 8B) (sculptured in Aulacus ); tarsal claws pectinate, with three or five tooth-like processes along inner margin (e.g. Figs 2G, 4H, 10H, 14G, 18C) (with only one weak basal process in Aulacus ); petiole slender, at least 2.5 × as long as wide (e.g. Figs 7A, 8G, 9A, 9D, 14I) (at most 1.0 × as long as wide in Aulacus ) ( Turrisi et al. 2009; Watanabe et al. 2013; Jennings et al. 2018).

Diagnosis. Eyes small, circular or subcircular, remote from the mandibles; antenna with 14 antennomeres in female, 13 antennomeres in male; antennal insertions low on face, near lower margin of eyes; scape usually deeply convex ventrally in lateral view, much thicker than pedicel and flagellomeres; sub-antennal groove or depression to accommodate scape (e.g. Fig. 6B); metapostnotum between propodeum and metanotum as a distinct sclerotization (deep and wide crenulate groove-like sclerotization) (e.g. Figs 2H, 4F, 8H, 10G, 14H); propodeum pyramidal, metasoma inserted high on the apex; metasomal T1 and T2 fused dorsally; hind coxa, in females, usually with groove or notch on inner lateral surface, the apposed grooves or notches forming an ovipositor guide ( Figs 3B, 7C, 9B, 13C, 15B, 18B, D); hind trochanter with a subapical groove dorsally ( Figs 7B, 9C, 13B, 18B, H), prefemur (trochantellus) more or less present, short (sometimes indistinct ( Figs 7B, 13C, 18B, D, H); hind tarsal claws pectinate with three to five tooth-like processes along inner margin (e.g. Figs 2G, 4H, 10H, 14G); fore wings not plicate at rest; fore wing vein 2m-cu present (e.g. Figs 6H, 10I), vein 2r-m usually present, largely spectral, vein 3r-m present, often largely spectral (e.g. Figs 6H, 10I); ovipositor exserted, protruding well beyond apex of metasoma.