Aulacophilinus amblygnathus Menke, 2016

Menke, Arnold S., 2016, A Re-evaluation of the Generic Limits of Pison Jurine, and a New Species of the Genus Aulacophilinus Lomholdt (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Trypoxylini), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 63 (11), pp. 333-340 : 335-337

Aulacophilinus amblygnathus Menke , sp. nov.

TYPES.— Holotype male: New Guinea: Wau, October l969, P. Shanahan (American Entomological Institute) . Paratypes: one female with same data as holotype (American Entomological Institute) ; one female, Wau, 1200 m, Nov. l, l965, P. Shanahan (Bishop Museum).

DESCRIPTION: Holotype male.— Black, shiny except frons and antenna dull, flagellomeres VII-XI pale beneath; clypeus and lower frons with short, appressed silver setae that obscure sculpture; head and thorax with long, erect pale setae except setae in ocellar triangle shorter and black; gaster with short, decumbent, pale setae; wing veins dark brown, membrane slightly infuscate.

Upper interocular distance 0.56X lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance 0.22X hindocellus diameter; frons with large, shallow punctures that are l to 2 diameters apart, interspaces minutely roughened, dull; flagellum without tyli or other adornments, lengths of flagellomeres I- III equal, each slightly more than twice as long as wide, VI–X only slightly longer than wide; clypeus with broad, obtusely triangular median lobe that ends in small tooth (Fig. 8), edge of lobe thickened laterad (ventral view); labrum narrowly quadrangular, projecting beyond clypeal edge (Fig. 8); mandible broadening to an obliquely, arcuately truncate apex (Fig. 8); occipital carina essentially complete but becoming very low at midventral line, narrowly separated from hypostomal carina. Pronotum with anteromedial round pit that is about 0.5X hindocellus diameter, several irregular transverse rugae behind pit; collar not carinate but with obtuse elevation at middle; scutum punctate, punctures densest anteriorly (0.5 diameters apart), l to 2 diameters apart on disk, interspaces imbricate ( Harris, 1979); scutellum similarly punctate and sculptured; mesopleuron coarsely punctate, punctures 0.5–2 diameters apart, interspaces smooth except minutely roughened on venter, hypoepimeral area horizontally rugosopuncatate; metapleural flange narrowly lamelliform; propodeum mostly smooth, punctate, most sparsely so on side (1–1.5 diameters apart), punctures of dorsum finer than those on scutum; base of dorsum with short, strong ridges, dorsum with series of short, transverse rugae along midline; propodeal side not delimited dorsad by carina but there is a vague linear series of short transverse rugae between petiole socket and spiracle. Gaster more finely punctate than thorax, interspaces smooth, punctures coarsest on segment I, resembling pinpricks on last few segments, sterna unspecialized, VIII concavely truncate apically. Male genitalia (Figs. 5, 6). Hindtarsomere I swollen beneath subapically in lateral profile, distal third flattened ventrally, this area densely covered with very short white setae, distal two thirds of II covered with similar setal patch ventrally, III–IV with plantulae. Forewing with three submarginal cells, recurrent vein I ending on submarginal cell I but nearly interstitial, recurrent vein II ending on submarginal cell III, separated from II by about an ocellus diameter, forewing media diverging beyond cu-a. Length 6.5 mm.

Paratypes: female (two).— Color as in male except antenna completely black, and appressed silver setae of clypeus sparser, not obscuring sculpture.

Similar to male except upper interocular distance 0.47–0.48X lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance 0.07–0.l0X hindocellus diameter; flagellomeres VII–IX nearly 2X as long as wide; clypeal lobe more angular (Fig. 7); cutting edge of mandible with small indentation basad of truncation (Fig. 7); propodeal side not delimited dorsad in any way; hindtarsomeres I-II unmodified; recurrent vein I ending on submarginal cell I about ocellus diameter from II; Length 8 mm.

DISCUSSION.— Aulacophilinus amblygnathus is the only member of Aulacophilinus from New Guinea with three submarginal cells in the forewing. Others with three submarginal cells known to me are mandibulatus and pyrrhicus, both of which are found in Australia.

ETYMOLOGY.— Amblygnathus , a noun, is based on the Greek words amblys (= blunt, truncate) and gnathos (= jaw), a reference to the peculiar mandible.