Pristaulacus decolorus SMITH, 2008

Smith, David R., 2008, Aulacidae of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America (Hymenoptera), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 58 (2), pp. 267-355 : 326-328

Pristaulacus decolorus SMITH , new species

( Figs 124-127 )

Diagnosis:

Mesosoma and metasoma black. Wings hyaline, without black spots. Head shining. Mesosoma shining, with transverse carinae. Hind coxa shining, smooth, elongate. Anterior margin of pronotum with one tooth.

Female: Unknown.

Male:

Length, 6.5 mm; forewing length, 4.5 mm. Color: Antenna black with scape yellow. Head orange yellow with large area on vertex and frons black, black area from near occipital carina to upper inner orbits through ocelli to lower three-quarters of frons. Mesosoma black with propleuron orange yellow. Legs orange yellow with hind coxa and trochanter black, hind femur and hind tibia with black streak on outer surfaces, and hind tarsus brown. Metasoma black with second tergite with orange band and lateral orange areas on segments 3 and 4. Wings hyaline, without black spots; veins and stigma brownish. Head: Antennal length 4.0X head width. Lower interocular distance subequal to eye height; malar space about 0.3X eye height ( Fig. 124 ). From above head behind eyes roundly narrowing, about 0.6X eye length ( Fig. 125 ). Occipital carina very small, less than a fifth diameter of an ocellus. Head smooth and shining with white pubescence, pubescence densest on lower frons, lower inner orbits, and malar area; practically impunctate, several small widely scattered punctures on frons ( Figs 124, 125 ). Mesosoma: Pronotum with one anteriorly projecting tooth. Propleuron smooth and shining, few punctures on posterior half. Rest of mesonotum shining; mesoscutal middle lobe with about 6 transverse carinae; mesoscutal lateral lobe smooth, shining, reticulate posteriorly; axillae somewhat reticulate; mesoscutellum with several transverse carinae at center; pleura mostly reticulate with dorsoanterior area on mesopleuron and anterior band on metapleuron finely punctate ( Figs 126, 127 ). Hind coxa long, 3.2X longer than broad, smooth and shining. Tarsal claws with 4 teeth, basal tooth may represent small acute basal lobe. Hind basitarsus 1.1X length of following tarsal segments combined. Forewing with cells 1M and 1Rs separated by short Rs+M vein (as in Fig. 91 ). Hind wing with veins faint to absent (as in Fig. 157 ). Metasoma: Segments 2 to apex with fine white pubescence and fine punctures.

Types: Holotype: Male, labeled “ Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mex., VI-27-52, E. E. Gilbert, C. D. MacNeil, Collectors” ( UCB) . Paratypes: MEXICO: 4 mi NW Tepanco de Lopez , Puebla, VII.2.53, Univ. Kans Mex. Expedition (1 ♂, UKAN) ; Oaxaca, Crawford (1 ♂, USNM) ; 14 mi. W. Ojuelos de Jalisco, 7360 ft., July 7, 1972, B. & C. Dasch (1 ♂, AEI) .

Etymology: From the Latin adjective decolor, meaning without color, referring to the lack of black spots on the wings.

Remarks:

The forewing is entirely clear, without dark spots. I have not seen females with which this species can be associated.

Figures

Figs 124-127: Pristaulacus decolorus. 124 Head, front. 125 Head, dorsal. 126 Mesosoma and head, lateral. 127 Mesosoma, dorsal.

Figs 87-92: Pristaulacus torridus. 87 Head, front. 88 Head, dorsal. 89 Mesosoma, lateral. 90 Mesosoma dorsal. 91 Wings. 92 Posterior portion of mesosoma and mid- and hind coxae.

Figs 152-157: Pristaulacus ruficruris. 152 Head, front. 153 Head, dorsal. 154 Head and anterior mesosoma, lateral. 155 Mesosoma, dorsal. 156 Mesosoma, lateral. 157 Wings.