Aulacus elegans ( Kieffer, 1911 )

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 : 37-39

Aulacus elegans ( Kieffer, 1911)

Figs 18 , 59 .

Micraulacinus elegans Kieffer 1911: 219 .— Kieffer 1912: 348; Hedicke 1939: 24.

Aulacus elegans Crosskey 1953: 765 , 766.— Smith 2001: 270; Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist].

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, " Australia ". ( BMNH 3 .a.316). Left antenna and right flagellomeres 7-12, left wings missing.

Other Material examined. NSW: 1♂, Harrington, 17.xii.1986, G. Williams ( AMS) ; 1♀, 1♂, Budgewoi, 27.xii.1986, R. De Keyser ( AMS) . Victoria: 2♀, Mt. Dandenong , no collector or date ( AEI) .

Description. FEMALE. Length. 5.3 (4.4–6.0) mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Head, scape, pedicel, propleuron, legs and metasoma orange, except for variable amounts of black on metasomal T1, mesosoma black ( Figs 18A, B ). Wings hyaline, brown spot apically on the marginal and submarginal cells of fore wing ( Figs 18A, B ).

Head. 1.5× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 18C ); face imbricate, with scattered setae; weak subantennal groove; frons with lateral medial carina above toruli, punctate near ocelli to rugose near lateral median carina and toruli, with scattered short setae; vertex punctate, with scattered short setae; gena punctate, with scattered short setae; posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.36 (0.3–0.4)× height eye; clypeus 4.4× as wide as high, margin sinuate, small medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.55× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.9 (1.6–2.4)× length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.05 (1.0–1.1)× as long as scape, 0.55 (0.5–0.6)× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron smooth, pubescence long, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view angular antero-dorsally ( Fig. 18E ), medial and lateral lobes strigate-rugose, with scattered short setae, admedial lines present; notauli distinct, carinate, broad and deep; scutellum and axillae strigate-rugose, scutellum anteriorly with two shallow depressions, separated by a median carina; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron rugose, with long pubescence; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron rugose, with short pubescence; propodeum coarsely rugose, posterior margin scrobiculate; hind coxa strigate dorsally. pubescence long laterally, ovipositor guide somewhat distal, oblique ( Fig. 18F ), distal margin with long setae, no setae inside groove; hind trochanter imbricate, with scattered short setae; prefemur on hind leg present; hind femur imbricate, with scattered short setae; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.72 (0.66–0.80)× 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, 2.8 (2.75–2.90)× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.5× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 2.0× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.65 (0.6– 0.7)× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.5× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m spectral; hind wing venation complete, R+Rs, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M present, spectral, with 2 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.09 (1.0–1.1)× length of mesosoma Fig. 18B ); T1 and T2 broad, glabrous dorsally except for a few small, shallow punctures anteriorly; ovipositor 2.9 (2.7–3.0) mm.

MALE. Similar to female, with basiparameres broad, imbricate; digitus broad, slightly shorter than basiparameres.

Distribution. Although the exact locality of the holotype is unknown, this species is also known from widely separated localities in NSW and Victoria ( Fig. 59 ).

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

Comments. Aulacus elegans is one of a number of species with the mesoscutum angular in lateral view, metasoma ovate, fore wing with apical brown spot, hind wing venation complete, and ovipositor guide on hind coxae oblique. It is, however, the only one with a lateral medial carina above the toruli.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Aulacus elegans (Kieffer), paratype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) dorsal head; (D) lateral head; (E) lateral pronotum and mesoscutum; (F) dorsal hind coxae.

FIGURE 59. Distribution of Aulacus elegans (Kieffer), A. festivus (Kieffer), and A. flavimanus (Kieffer).