Aulacus kiwarrakensis 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 : 55-56

Aulacus kiwarrakensis Jennings & Austin , sp. nov.

Figs 29 , 61 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, " Kiwarrak St. For., S Taree NSW. 13-24 Nov. 1991. G. Williams, dry fainforest [sic] ex dead branch Backhousia myrtifolia ." ( ANIC) . Paratypes. NSW: 1 ♀, 1 ♂, same data as holotype ( ANIC) .

Description. FEMALE. 7.0 mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Dark blackish brown except antennal segments 1–12 pale orange, segments 13–14 brown, mandibles orange, small orange spot on malar space and on vertex near eye margin, legs orange, metasomal T1 and T2 orange, ovipositor sheaths with a broad band of orange in apical half, ovipositor orange in apical half. Wings hyaline except for distinct brown spot apically on the marginal and submarginal cells of fore wing.

Head. 1.46 (1.40–1.53)× wider than long when viewed dorsally; face rugose, pubescence long; indistinct subantennal groove; frons without lateral medial carina above toruli, rugose, with long pubescence; vertex rugose near ocelli, with lateral striations on remainder, with short pubescence; gena rugulose, with short pubescence; posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.29 (0.25–0.32)× height eye; clypeus 0.32× as wide as high, margin sinuate, with medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.57 (0.55–0.58)× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 2.1 (1.8–2.5)× length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.1× as long as scape, 0.52× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron imbricate, pubescence long laterally, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view angular antero-dorsally, medial and lateral lobes strigate, with scattered short setae, admedial lines present; notauli distinct, carinate, narrow and deep; scutellum and axillae strigate, scutellum anteriorly with pair of oblique, deep depressions, separated by a weak median carina; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron rugose, with long pubescence; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron coarsely rugose, with short pubescence; propodeum coarsely rugose, posterior margin smooth; hind coxa strigate dorsally, pubescence short laterally, ovipositor guide about ¾ way along coxae, oblique, distal fringe of long setae, long setae in 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 0.92 (0.85–0.98)× 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× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.6 (1.4–1.7)× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 2.3× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.5× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.5× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m largely spectral; hind wing venation incomplete, r-m slightly pigmented, M+Cu, Cu, and 2-M absent, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.08× length of mesosoma; T1 and T2 broad, glabrous; ovipositor 5.0 mm.

MALE. Similar to female except: length 7.3 mm, flagellomeres black, metasoma narrow, 1.25× length mesosoma.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality, Kiwarrak State Forest, south of Taree, NSW.

Distribution. This species is known only from the type locality ( Fig. 61 ).

Biology. All specimens emerged from the dead branch of grey myrtle, Backhousia myrtifolia (Myrtaceae) infested with Pseudanilara and Chrysobothris (Buprestidae) .

Comments. Aulacus kiwarrakensis 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 of these characters are shared with both A. leai and A. walkeri , but A. walkeri can be readily separated from the other two species because it has a much longer hind tarsal claw, 3.0× length of tarsomere 5. Aulacus kiwarrakensis also has a rugose face but differs from A. leai , which has a punctate-rugose face. See also key (above).

Figures

FIGURE 29. Aulacus kiwarrakensis sp. nov., holotype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) lateral head; (D) dorsal mesosoma; (E) lateral mesosoma; (F) dorsal hind coxae.

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