Aulacus whartoni 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 : 289-291

Aulacus whartoni SMITH , new species

( Figs 34-38 )

Diagnosis:

Head and mesosoma black; legs orange, metasoma orange; wings entirely hyaline. Head shining, without genal carina. Mesonotum with coarse transverse carinae. Hind coxa smooth, shining. Tarsal claws with one inner tooth near base, longer and broader than outer tooth. Ovipositor length slightly shorter than forewing length.

Female:

Length, 9.2 mm; forewing length, 7.0 mm; ovipositor length 6.5 mm. Color: Black; scape, pedicel, clypeus, malar space, and metasoma orange; base of metasoma black. Legs orange with coxae and trochanters black and extreme bases of hind femur more or less black. Wings entirely hyaline, lacking black spots, veins and stigma black. Head: Antennal length 4.4X head width. Lower interocular distance about 1.2X eye height, malar space about 0.4X eye height ( Fig. 34 ). Head from above short and narrowing behind eyes ( Fig. 35 ). Shining, very fine punctures on frons, with fine white pubescences densest on lower half of frons to clypeus and malar area ( Figs 34, 35 ). Mesosoma: Mesoscutal middle lobe with about 10 transverse carinae, lateral lobe with short carinae on inner margin. smooth, finely punctate laterally; notauli meet transscutal articulation slightly separately ( Fig. 37 ); axilla reticulate; mesoscutellum with 5-6 transverse carinae at center, reticulate laterally; pronotum finely reticulate, smooth shining area on posterior margin; mesepisternum anteriorly reticulate, posteriorly with carinae; mesepimeron finely striate; metapleuron finely reticulate on dorsal half, coarsely reticulate on ventral half; propodeum reticulate ( Figs 36, 37 ). Hind coxa smooth and shining, with very fine transverse carinae laterally, about 2.0X longer than broad. Hind basitarsus 1.1X longer than length of remaining tarsal segments combined. Tarsal claw with large tooth at base, almost appearing as a large, acute basal lobe ( Fig. 38 ). Metasoma: Shining; apical 2 or 3 segments with fine white pubescence. Ovipositor length about 0.9X forewing length.

Male: Unknown.

Holotype: Female , labeled “ Mexico: Oaxaca, 10 mi. SE Totolapam, VII-20-1987, 4000 ft., R. Wharton ” ( TAMU).

Etymology: Named for Dr. Robert A. Wharton, Texas A&M University, College Station, who collected this species.

Remarks:

The long inner tooth of the tarsal claws is unusual for Aulacus , but all other characters place A. whartoni in this genus. The color is also unique with the head (except clypeus and malar space) and mesosoma black and metasoma mostly orange. This also is the only species of Aulacus treated here that has the ovipositor slightly shorter than the forewing length.

Figures

Figs 34-38: Aulacus whartoni. 34 Head, front. 35 Head, dorsal. 36 Mesosoma, lateral. 37 Mesosoma, dorsal. 38 Tarsal claw.