Aulacus jamberoo Jennings & Parslow, 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 : 52

Aulacus jamberoo Jennings & Parslow , sp. nov.

Figs 27 , 61 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, NSW: "Jamberoo, 16.i.[19]49, no collector ( AMS). Right flagellomeres 6–12 missing. Metasoma in gelatin capsule.

Description. FEMALE. Length. 6.7 mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Red-brown ( Figs 27A, B ), legs slightly lighter, mandibular teeth dark brown, ovipositor sheaths black. Wings hyaline, fore wing with indistinct brown spot apically on the marginal and submarginal cells ( Fig. 27B ).

Head. 1.35× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 27C ); face rugose, pubescence long; shallow, indistinct sub-antennal groove; frons without lateral medial carina above toruli ( Fig. 27C ), rugose, with scattered short setae; vertex rugose, with scattered short setae; radiating striations around ocelli on both frons and vertex; gena rugose-imbricate, imbricate with scattered punctures near eye margin, with scattered short setae; posterior margin of head not concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.2× height eye; clypeus 3.2× as wide as high, margin sinuate, with medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin equal to distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.2× length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.36× as long as scape, 0.52× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron rugose, pubescence long, ventro-lateral carina distinct; pronotum rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally ( Fig. 27F ), medial lobe strigate, lateral lobe rugose, with scattered short setae, admedial lines present ( Fig. 27E ); notauli distinct, carinate, narrow and deep ( Fig. 27E ); scutellum and axillae rugose, scutellum anteriorly with pair of deep depressions, separated by a weak median carina; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron rugose dorsally, areolate ventrally, with long pubescence, denser ventrally; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron rugose, with short pubescence; propodeum areolate, posterior margin smooth; hind coxa strigate dorsally, pubescence short laterally, ovipositor guide somewhat medial, oblique, no setae on distal margin or in groove ( Fig. 27H ); hind trochanter imbricate, with scattered short setae; distinct prefemur on hind leg; hind femur imbricate, with scattered very short setae; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.65× 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, 2.2× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.43× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 2.3× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.6× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.5× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m largely spectral; hind wing venation complete, R+Rs, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M spectral, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Clavate, 1.36× length of mesosoma; T1 and T2 narrow, glabrous ( Fig. 27G ); ovipositor 6.6 mm.

MALE. Unknown.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality, Jamberoo, NSW.

Distribution. This species is known only from Jamberoo, NSW ( Fig. 61 ).

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

Comments. Aulacus jamberoo keys out in a group together with A. albimanus and A. burnsi . These species all have the mesosoma rounded in lateral view, a brown spot apically on the fore wing, complete hind wing venation, oblique ovipositor guide on the hind coxae, no occipital carina, and the face either rugose or rugulose and lacking punctures. Aulacus jamberoo is a red-brown species whereas the other two species are largely black (see key for further differences).

Figures

FIGURE 27. Aulacus jamberoo sp. nov., holotype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) fronto-dorsal head; (D) frontal head; (E) dorsal mesosoma; (F) lateral mesosoma; (G) dorsal metasomal T1; (H) dorsal hind coxae.

FIGURE 61. Distribution of Aulacus insularis sp. nov., A. jamberoo sp. nov., A. kittelae sp. nov., and A. kiwarrakensis sp. nov.