Aulacus leai 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 : 56-58

Aulacus leai Jennings & Austin , sp. nov.

Figs 30 , 62 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, “Hobart Tas: Lea ( SAM) . Paratypes. Tasmania: 5 ♀, 1 ♂, same data as holotype ( SAM) .

Other Material examined. 1 sex unknown (damaged), same data as holotype ( SAM); 1 sex unknown, Tasmania ( ASCU). Description. FEMALE. Length. 7.7 (7.2–8.3) mm, excluding ovipositor. Colour. Head and mesosoma black, antenna and legs orange-brown, metasoma orange ( Figs 30A, B ). Wings hyaline except for brown infuscation apically on the marginal and third submarginal cells of fore wing ( Figs 30 A, B ) .

Head. 1.12 (1.11–1.15)× wider than long when viewed dorsally; face punctate-rugose, pubescence short; subantennal groove present; frons without lateral medial carina above toruli, punctate-rugose, with long and dense pubescence; vertex punctate-rugose, with short setae ( Fig. 30C ); gena rugose, with short setae, longer ventrally; posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; without occipital carina; malar space 0.24 (0.22–0.27)× height eye; clypeus 3.0 (2.6–3.3)× as wide as high, margin sinuate, distinct short medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.94 (0.85–1.0)× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.3 (1.11–1.5)× length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.32 (1.2–1.5)× as long as scape, 0.58 (0.5–0.63)× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron rugose, pubescence short, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum long, dense pubescence, rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view angular antero-dorsally ( Figs 30B,E ), medial and lateral lobes strigate, with scattered short setae, admedial lines present; notauli distinct, carinate, broad and shallow; scutellum and axillae strigate-rugose ( Fig. 30D ), scutellum anteriorly with pair of deep depressions, separated by a weak median carina; metapostnotum areolate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron rugose, coarser ventrally, pubescence long, denser ventrally; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron rugose, with generally smooth patch anterior of spiracle (several scattered punctures dorsally), with short pubescence; propodeum coarsely areolaterugose, without medial carina, posterior margin smooth; hind coxa weakly strigate apically, smoother with scattered punctures basally, pubescence short laterally, ovipositor guide medial, oblique ( Fig. 30F ), setae on lower distal margin, no setae in groove; hind trochanter imbricate, with short setae; prefemur on hind leg distinct; hind femur imbricate, with short setae; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.75 (0.7–0.82)× 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, 2.6 (2.46–2.76)× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.56 (1.5–1.6)× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 1.96 (1.5–2.5)× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.65 (0.53–0.83)× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.5 (0.4–0.6)× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m largely spectral; hind wing venation incomplete, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M absent, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.58 (1.5–1.65)× length of mesosoma ( Fig. 30A ); T1 and T2 narrow, smooth, glabrous, remainder of tergites imbricate, with scattered punctures, T3–T7 progressively more pubescent; ovipositor 7.65 (7.6–7.7) mm.

MALE. Similar to female, except head dark brown and body brownish-black. Basiparameres broad, pubescence short, digitus longer than basiparameres.

Etymology. This new species is named for the noted Australian entomologist Arthur Mills Lea, 1868–1932.

Distribution. This species is known only from Hobart, Tasmania ( Fig. 62 ).

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

Comments. Aulacus leai is identifiable by the combination of characters in the key, viz., mesosoma angular in lateral view, metasoma ovate, brown spot apically on fore wing, hind wing venation incomplete, all shared with both A. kiwarrakensis and A. walkeri . See comments under A. kiwarrakensis for recognition features.

Figures

FIGURE 30. Aulacus leai sp. nov., holotype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) lateral head; (D) dorsal mesosoma; (E) lateral mesoscutum; (F) dorsal hind coxae.

FIGURE 62. Distribution of Aulacus leai sp. nov., A. longiventris (Kieffer), and A. mareebaensis sp. nov.