Aulacus kittelae 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 : 54-55

Aulacus kittelae Jennings & Austin , sp. nov.

Figs 28 , 61 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, “Kuranda [Queensland] F P Dodd ( SAM).

Description. FEMALE. Length. 6.75 mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Black, except scape, pedicel and flagellomere 1 slightly lighter, propleuron dark brown, fore coxae, trochanters and femora brown, tarsomeres 1–4 cream, tarsomere 5 dark brown, hind dark brown except tarsomeres 1–4 cream, metasoma dark blackish brown, pale brown band dorsally before posterior margin of T2, ovipositor guides dark brown, pale brown band just before tip, ovipositor pale brown ( Figs 28A, B ). Wings hyaline except for brown infuscation apically on the marginal and third submarginal cells of fore wing ( Fig. 28B ).

Head. 1.4× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 28C ); face rugose, pubescence long, dense; weak subantennal groove; frons rugose, without lateral medial carina above toruli, with short pubescence; vertex rugose, with scattered short setae; gena rugose, with short pubescence; posterior margin of head not concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.1× height eye; clypeus 0.4× as wide as high, margin sinuate, without medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 1× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.5× length pedicel; first flagellomere 0.86× as long as scape, 0.48× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron punctulate, pubescence long, dense, ventro-lateral carina not visible; pronotum rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally ( Fig. 28D ), medial and lateral lobes rugose, with short setae, admedial lines present, indistinct; notauli distinct, carinate, broad and deep; scutellum rugose, anteriorly with pair of deep depressions, separated by a strong median carina; axillae rugose; metapostnotum areolate, posterior margin convex, scrobiculate; mesopleuron confused-rugose, with long pubescence; mesepimeron broad, scrobiculate; metapleuron areolate-rugose, with smooth patch near anterior spiracle margin, with short pubescence; propodeum areolate, posterior margin carinate medially, punctate laterally; hind coxa strigate-rugose, pubescence short laterally, ovipositor guide, somewhat medial, oblique, broad, setae on distal margin; hind trochanter imbricate, short pubescent; prefemur on hind leg distinct; hind femur imbricate, with short pubescence; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.72× length hind tibia; hind tibia with ventroapical pecten of short robust spines; hind tarsomeres 1–4 with ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines, tarsomere 1, 1.02× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 2.9× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 0.23× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 3.25× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.25× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m largely spectral; hind wing M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M absent, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Clavate, 1.5× length of mesosoma ( Fig. 28B ); T1 and T2 narrow, imbricate, T3–T8 imbricate, pubescence short; ovipositor 3.95 mm ( Fig. 28B ).

MALE. Unknown.

Etymology. This species is named for our colleague Rebecca Kittel.

Distribution. This species is known only from Kuranda, northwest of Cairns, Queensland ( Fig. 61 ).

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

Comments. Aulacus kittelae keys out together with A. dandenongensis . Both species have a mesoscutum which is rounded in lateral view, clavate metasoma, fore wing with brown spot on apex, and hind wing venation incomplete. The two species can be readily distinguished by the absence of an ovipositor guide in A. dandenongensis , whereas A. kittelae has a medial, oblique ovipositor guide.

Figures

FIGURE 28. Aulacus kittelae sp. nov., holotype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) dorsal head; (D) lateral head and mesosoma.

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