Aulacus warraensis 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 : 92-94

Aulacus warraensis Jennings & Austin , sp. nov.

Figs 52 , 67 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, “WARRA LTER. 13 Jan 1999. Site, 254/117. Malaise. R. Bashford ( TMAG). Left antennomeres 7 to tip missing.

Description. FEMALE. Length. 8.0 mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Head black, mesosoma orange-brown, metasoma orange ( Figs 52A, B ) flagellomeres 2–4 dark brown 5–9 cream, 10–12 brown, trochanters, femora, tibiae, tarsi lighter orange, metasoma and ovipositor orange, ovipositor sheaths brown. Wings hyaline except for indistinct brown infuscation apically on the marginal and third submarginal cells of fore wing.

Head. 1.14× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 52C ); face punctate-rugose, pubescence long; indistinct sub-antennal groove; frons rugose, without lateral medial carina above toruli, with scattered short setae; vertex and gena rugose, with scattered short setae; posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.24× height eye; clypeus 3.13× as wide as high, margin sinuate, distinct medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.86× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.6× length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.0× as long as scape, 0.47× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron rugose, scattered long setae ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally ( Fig. 52E ), medial and lateral lobes strigate-rugose, with scattered short setae, admedial lines indistinct; notauli distinct, carinate, broad and deep ( Fig. 52D ); scutellum and axillae strigate-rugose, scutellum with two deep depressions, separated by a weak median carina; metapostnotum broad, carinate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron carinate-rugose dorsally and ventro-posteriorly, anteroventrally areolate, with scattered long setae; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron areolate, with short pubescence, punctulate-rugulose tending to smooth patch on anterior margin of spiracle; propodeum areolate, posterior margin rugose, with a few longitudinal carinae; hind coxa strigate dorsally and laterally, pubescence short, ovipositor guide medial, oblique, distal fringe of long setae, no setae in groove; hind trochanter imbricate, short pubescence; ovipositor guide medial, oblique (begins medially) ( Fig. 52F ), long fringing setae on distal margin; prefemur on hind leg present; hind femur imbricate, with scattered short setae; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.74× length hind tibia; hind tibia with ventro- apical pecten of short robust spines; hind tarsomeres 1–4 with ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines, tarsomere 1, 2.4× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.47× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 2.43× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.58× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.42× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m spectral; hind wing venation complete, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M spectral, with 3 equidistant hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.51× length of mesosoma ( Fig. 52B ); T1 and T2 narrow, glabrous, T1 smooth, T2 imbricate, T3–T8 imbricate, short pubescence; ovipositor 6.5 mm.

MALE. Unknown.

Etymology. This species is named after the Warra Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) site in southern Tasmania, the location of the holotype.

Distribution. This species is known only from the holotype locality, Warra Long-term Ecological Research site in southern Tasmania ( Fig. 67 ).

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

Comments. Aulacus warraensis is similar to A. umbackae . See under A. umbackae (above) for differences.

Figures

FIGURE 52. Aulacus warraensis sp. nov., holotype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) dorsal head; (D) dorsal mesosoma; (E) lateral mesosoma; (F) orsal hind coxae.

FIGURE 67. Distribution of Aulacus walkeri sp. nov., A. warraensis sp. nov., A. williamsi sp. nov., and A. wrightae sp. nov.