Aulacus minutus Crosskey 1953

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 : 62-64

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4538.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E4D8D897-3CBE-4FA6-95C3-143A945229A4
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3798428
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3E4187A0-176E-4E36-FF54-FACEFF46FBFC
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Aulacus minutus Crosskey 1953
status

Treatment

Figs 33 View FIGURE 33 , 63 View FIGURE 63 .

Aulacus minutus Crosskey 1953: 764 .— Smith 2001: 273; Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist].

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, " Tamborine Mountains , S.E. Queensland. 1.9.1935. R.E. Turner B.M. 1935– 240" ( BMNH–3 a.326).

Other Material examined. Queensland: 1♀, Bundaberg, R. Moller , 14.ix.1948 ( QM) ; 1♀, The Pinnacles, Mt. Walsh National Park , 11.v.1976, H. Frauca ( ANIC) . NSW: 1♀, nr. Braidwood , 27.ii.1953, Z. Liepa ( ANIC) . Australia: 1♀, no data label ( BMNH–3 a.316) .

Description. FEMALE. Length. 6.4 (5.5–7.0) mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Metasoma dark brown, head, scape, pedicel, flagellomere 1 and propodeum reddish brown, legs and metasoma brown. Wings hyaline, brown spot apically on the marginal and submarginal cells of fore wing.

Head. 1.62 (1.57–1.67)× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 33C View FIGURE 33 ); face imbricate, with scattered short setae; frons, rugose-punctate, with scattered short setae, but rugose and with rounded transverse carina above toruli; vertex and gena punctate-imbricate, slightly rugose towards occiput, with scattered short setae ( Fig. 33C View FIGURE 33 ); posterior margin of head concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.36× height eye; clypeus 3.90× as wide as high, with short median process anteriorly; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.63× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.8× length pedicel; first flagellomere 0.75× as long as scape, 0.7 (0.54– 0.90)× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron rugulose-punctate, pubescence long, ventro-lateral carina prominent ( Fig. 33F View FIGURE 33 ); pronotum rugose-punctate, dorsal part separated from ventral part by broad carinate groove ( Fig. 33F View FIGURE 33 ); mesoscutum in lateral view angular antero-dorsally ( Fig. 33F View FIGURE 33 ), medial and lateral lobes broadly strigate with scattered short setae, admedial lines inconspicuous; notauli distinct, carinate, broad and deep ( Fig. 33E View FIGURE 33 ); scutellum broadly strigate, scutellum anteriorly with pair of deep depressions, separated by a weak median carina; axillae strigate; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron rugose, with short pubescence; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron and propodeum coarsely rugose, with short pubescence; posterior margin of propodeum scrobiculate; hind coxa weakly strigate, pubescence short; ovipositor guide somewhat distal, oblique (flange-like ventrally when viewed laterally ( Figs 33G,H View FIGURE 33 ), distal fringe of long setae, no setae in the groove; hind trochanter, hind femur and hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short; hind femur 0.9× length hind tibia; hind tibia with ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines; hind tarsomeres without ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines, tarsomere 1, 2.1× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.6× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 1.4× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.8× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.7× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m complete, spectral; hind wing venation complete, spectral, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.05 (1.0–1.1)× length of mesosoma ( Figs 33A, B View FIGURE 33 ); T1 and T2 broad, glabrous, except for several shallow punctures anteriorly; ovipositor 4.4 (3.6–5.5) mm.

MALE. Unknown.

Distribution. This species is known from a number of localities in Queensland and also Braidwood, NSW ( Fig. 63 View FIGURE 63 ).

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

Comments. It should be noted that the specimen in the BMNH (3a.316) is labelled as a holotype and with a label by Kieffer, but the name on the label is a manuscript name that was not published and therefore has no status. The specimen is identical in appearance to other specimens of A. minutus Crosskey.

Aulacus minutus can be distinguished from other species by the characters in the key, viz., mesosoma angular in lateral view, metasoma ovate, hind wing venation complete, ovipositor guide on hind coxae oblique, and lateral medial carina on frons absent. As well, the posterior margin of the head is distinctly concave in dorsal view ( Fig. 33C View FIGURE 33 ).