Aulacus simsoni Jennings & Austin, 2018

Jennings, John T., Parslow, Ben A. & Austin, Andrew D., 2018, Systematics of the parasitoid wasp genus Aulacus Jurine (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea: Aulacidae) from Australia, Zootaxa 4538 (1), pp. 1-113 : 81-82

Aulacus simsoni Jennings & Austin , sp. nov.

Fig. 44 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, “ Tasmania, A. Simson ( SAM). Missing left antenna, right antenna missing flagellomere 2 to tip, right fore leg missing femur, tibia and tarsus, right mid leg missing tarsomeres 3–5 and claw, ovipositor sheaths largely missing.

Description. FEMALE. Length. 11.25 mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Body black, except vertex and gena dark brown, all coxae dark brown, fore and mid femora and tibiae orange, tarsomeres 1–4 cream, hind legs trochanter dark brown, hind femora orange and tibiae brown, basitarsus dark brown in first 3/4, remainder cream, tarsomere 2–4 cream, tarsomere 5 brown, last part of metasomal T1 and T2–T8 brown, T8 with cream spot dorso-laterally, ovipositor brown ( Fig 44A, B ). Wings hyaline except for brown infuscation apically on the marginal and third submarginal cells of fore wing.

Head. 1.05× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 44C ); face rugose, pubescence long; distinct subantennal groove, with fewer setae and somewhat punctate-rugulose; frons coarsely rugose, lateral medial carina slightly bulbous above toruli, rugose, with short scattered setae; vertex punctate-reticulate medially, posteriorly and laterally punctate-rugulose, with scattered short setae; gena punctate-rugulose setae longer and denser ventrally; posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.15× height eye; clypeus 2.43× as wide as high, margin sinuate, distinct medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.76× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.6× length pedicel; first flagellomere 0.58× as long as scape.

Mesosoma. Propleuron rugose dorsally, striate-rugose laterally, pubescence long, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum rugose except carinate-rugose medially, scattered long setae; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded anterodorsally, medial and lateral lobes strigate-rugose ( Fig. 44D ), with scattered short setae, admedial lines indistinct; notauli distinct, carinate, narrow and deep; scutellum and axillae strigate-rugose, scutellum with two deep depressions, separated by a weak median carina; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron punctate-rugose dorsally, areolate ventro-anteriorly and carinate-rugose posteriorly, with scattered long pubescence; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron areolate, with short pubescence, smooth patch on anterior margin of spiracle; propodeum areolate, posterior margin smooth; hind coxa strigate-rugose dorsally, finer laterally, scattered long setae dorso-laterally, ovipositor guide not visible; hind trochanter imbricate, with short pubescence; prefemur on hind leg distinct; hind femur imbricate, pubescence short; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.80× length hind tibia; hind tibia with ventroapical pecten of short robust spines; hind tarsomeres 1–4 with ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines, tarsomere 1, 2.53× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 3.00× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 1.25× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.60× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.86× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m largely spectral; hind wing venation complete, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M spectral, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Clavate, 1.57× length of mesosoma; T1 and T2 narrow, glabrous, T1 smooth, T2 imbricate, T3–T8 imbricate, short pubescence dorso-laterally, denser on T6–8; ovipositor 12.00 mm (sheaths largely missing).

MALE. Unknown.

Etymology. This species is named after the collector, Augustus Simson, 1836-1919, a stock and share broker who amassed extensive collections of plants, insects, and shells, particularly from Tasmania.

Distribution. This species is known only from Tasmania, with the exact locality unknown.

Biology. Nothing is known of the biology of this species.

Comments. Aulacus simsoni is characterised by having the mesoscutum rounded in lateral view, hind wing venation incomplete, posterior margin of head not concave in dorsal view, and by the presence of a lateral median carina above the toruli (see key). Unfortunately, the ovipositor guide on the hind coxae is not visible in the holotype, so we are not able to comment further on other species that might be similar.

Figures

FIGURE 44. Aulacus simsoni sp. nov., holotype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) dorsal head; (D) lateral head, pronotum and mesoscutum.