Pristaulacus gibbator ( Thunberg, 1822 )

Published, First, 2007, Revision of the Palaearctic species of Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Aulacidae), Zootaxa 1433, pp. 1-76 : 41-44

Pristaulacus gibbator ( Thunberg, 1822)

( Figs. 11, 31, 51, 71, 98–99, 103, 117)

Ichneumon gibbator Thunberg, 1822: 270 (♀).

Aulacus Esenbecki Dahlbom, 1837: 174 (♀).

Aulacus calcaratus Kriechbaumer, 1878a: 39 (♀).

Aulacus calcaratus Kriechbaumer, 1878b: 5 (♀).

Aulacus sibiricola Semenow, 1892a: 27 ; 1892b: 215 (♂) (syn. nov.).

Pristaulacus esenbecki: Kieffer, 1912: 384 .

Odontaulacus sibiricola: Kieffer, 1912: 366 .

Pristaulacus gibbator: Hedicke, 1939: 9 .

Odontaulacus sibiricola: Hedicke, 1939: 22 .

Aulacostethus gibbator: Györfi, 1964: 50 .

Pristaulacus gibbator: Smith, 2001: 286 .

Pristaulacus sibiricola: Smith, 2001: 297 .

Material examined. SWEDEN: “ Smol ”, 1♂, ZML-2001 n. 456; 1♂, ZML-2001 n. 457 (sub “ Stephanus coronatus ”), coll. Thomson ( MZLU) . GERMANY: Schäftlarn (Baviera), 1♀ ( ZSMC) . AUSTRIA: Karnten, Dobratsch. Hundsmarhof , 5 Km E Badblaiburg, m 900, 26.VII.1998, 1♀ ex larva, from wood containing Paleocallidium coriaceum (PRCU) ; 4 km NE Unken , m 520–600, 26.VIII.1997, 1♀, Martin Schwarz leg. ( OLML) . POLAND: Biebrzanski Park, Narodowy , 5.VII.1997, 1♀, Hilszcza ṅski J. leg. ( IBLP) . SIBERIA: holotype ♂ of A. sibiricola Semenow labelled: “63580” (= Nizhnyaa Tunguzka river, near Enisey river , 12.VIII.1873, A. Czekanowski leg., teste S. Belokobylskij)/Gen. ign. Aulacus Jur. affine sp. ign./“ Aulacus

sibiricola m. typ. ♂ un. AS. V.91/ Odontaulacus sibiricola m. male, Typ. un., A. Semenov-Tian-Shansky det., VII.27/ Holotypus Odontaulacus sibiricola (Sem.) ” ( ZIN); Urzhum, prov. Viatskoi g.(ubernii), 11–20.V.1901, 1♂, Krulikovskii leg., coll. Kokueva ( ZIN); Territory of Krasnoyarsk, Enisey district, Garevka river (forest), 1♀ (without collecting data) Vetrova leg. ( ZIN); Tuva, Hondergei, 1♀, pupa inside holes made by Callidium sp. collected 29.VI.1967, emerged 9.VIII.1967, Yanovskiy leg. ( ZIN); Khaimskaya, Barguzin road, Zabaikal’sk province, 23.VIII.1907, 1♀, D. Smirnov leg. ( ZIN); Magadan province, Sibit-Tiellah, near Vetrennyi, Olen’ river, 6.VII.1977, 1♀, Zhiltzova leg. ( ZIN).

Records from literature. Thunberg (1822), Dahlbom (1837), Kriechbaumer (1878a, b), Schletterer (1889), Semenow (1892a, b), Kieffer (1903), Györfi (1964), Hedqvist (1973), Oehlke (1983, 1984), Pagliano (1986), Kozlov (1988), Madl (1988, 1990a), Hilszczaṅski (2002).

Type locality. The type locality of Ichneumon gibbator is not indicated in the original description, but it must be intended as Sweden (see Oehlke 1983 and Smith 2001).

Notes on type material. The type material of Ichneumon gibbator (not examined) consists of two females, one lectotype and one paralectotype, designated by Oehlke (1983) and stored in the collection of the Zoological Institute of Uppsala ( Sweden) .

Redescription. ♀. Length (excluding ovipositor): 12.7 mm; fore wing length: 9.6 mm.

Colour black, except: mandible (except apex) and maxillo-labial complex blackish, with articles 4–6 of maxillary palpus yellow orange; most of clypeus and legs (except part of fore coxa and trochanter, mid and hind coxae and trochanters, and hind tibia), and metasoma (except segments 1–2) yellow orange, more or less dark; labial palpus and remaining segments of maxillary palpus dark brown; hind tarsus light red orange; A1 extensively red orange; hind coxa and trochanter blackish brown; hind tibia dark brown; wings hyaline, uniformly yellowish, without dark spots, with veins and stigma light brown, the latter with margins darker; hind wing with some veins poorly defined; valvula 3 of ovipositor blackish brown. Setae: whitish to pale yellow on head; yellow gold on mandible; whitish on mesosoma; brownish on metasoma.

Head ( Figs. 11, 31), from above, 1.3x wider than long, shiny; occipital margin straight; temple, from above, well developed, 1.15x longer than eye length, weakly convergent posteriorly and weakly convex; occipital carina narrow, cerciniform, 0.2x diameter of an ocellus; POL:OOL = 1.3; ocellar area 2.0x wider than long; frons transverse carinulate with punctures moderately coarse, deep, and dense (distance between punctures 2x diameter of a puncture); vertex and temple polished with punctures less coarse and scattered; median lobe of clypeus polished, with very coarse, deep, and dense punctures; lateral lobes of clypeus without punctures; malar area with irregular, fine to coarse, moderately deep, and dense punctures; occipital area polished; mandible polished and shiny, with coarse and deep punctures at base and in middle; antenna 1.2x longer than fore wing length; A3 7.5x longer than wide; A4 15.7x longer than wide, and 1.9x longer than A3; A5 16.2x longer than wide, and 1.7x longer than A3; following antennomeres progressively shorter, the apical one dorsoventrally compressed, with apex rounded, 2.7x longer than wide. Setae: erect, short, and moderately dense on frons, less dense on vertex and on temple; recumbent, moderately long, and scattered on clypeus, on lateral margins of frons and on subantennal groove; recumbent, short, and dense on malar area; semierect, strong, long, and scattered on A1; setae length of temple as long as diameter of an ocellus.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 51, 103) weakly sculptured on dorsal surface, moderately sculptured on lateral parts; pronotum extensively transverse carinate, with lateroventral margins irregularly rugose punctate, regularly rounded and without teeth; propleuron polished and shiny, with some weak carinae and coarse, deep, and moderately dense punctures; prescutum triangular, not concave, polished, with coarse, deep, and dense punctures; mesoscutum transverse carinate (carinae weak and interrupted), with anterior margin, in lateral view, regularly rounded; notaulus very deep and narrow; scutellum transverse carinulate in middle, irregularly rugulose along margins; mesepimeron transverse carinate; mesepisternum areolate rugose, except a small area on upper part foveolate rugose; metanotum irregularly sculptured in middle, longitudinally carinate in lateral parts; propodeum irregularly areolate rugose on dorsal surface, with base less sculptured, transverse carinate on hind surface; ventral parts of mesosoma extensively transverse carinulate and punctate; fore wing with vein 2-rs+m long; fore coxa polished, shiny, with fine, superficial, and scattered punctures, or confused rugulose; mid coxa finely striolate punctate; hind coxa ( Fig. 71) transverse carinulate, with coarse, moderately deep, and very scattered punctures; trochanters shiny, with irregular, coarse, deep, and moderately dense punctures; femora uniformly striolate, dull on dorsal surface, with fine to moderately coarse, moderately deep, and dense punctures, weakly shiny on ventral surface, with fine, moderately deep, and very scattered punctures; spurs of mid and hind tibiae of the same length; hind basitarsus 14.5x longer than wide, and 1.2x longer than tarsomeres 2–5; claw with a small basal tooth and two well separated and equally spaced teeth. Setae: erect, short, and scattered on dorsal surface, semierect or recumbent, longer, and more dense on lateral and ventral parts; erect, long, and scattered on hind surface of propodeum; erect and moderately long and dense on propleuron, with setae length 0.6x fore pretarsus length; semierect, long, and moderately dense on coxae and trochanters, less dense on dorsal surface of hind coxa; erect, short, and moderately dense on dorsal surface of femora, scattered on ventral surface.

Metasoma moderately compressed laterally, pyriform in lateral view; petiole long, slender, 3.0x longer than wide, longitudinally and irregularly carinulate, with coarse, deep, and scattered punctures (sometimes poorly defined); remaining part of segments 1-2 polished and shiny; following segments very finely sculptured, with moderately coarse, superficial, and dense punctures on middle of tergites and sternites, more dense on last two tergites; S7 with coarse, deep, and dense punctures; lateral parts of T8 with moderately coarse, superficial, and scattered punctures; ovipositor 1.8x longer than fore wing length; valvula 3 of ovipositor with apex acute. Setae: segments 1 and 2 glabrous; recumbent, very short, and moderately dense on remaining segments, longer on S7 and T8.

ď. Length: 14.8 mm; fore wing length: 10.6 mm. Colour, structure, and setae like ♀, except: antenna slightly longer than fore wing length; A3 3.8x longer than wide; A4 7.0x longer than wide, and 1.8x longer than A3; A5 as long and wide as A4; petiole 3.5x longer than wide.

Intraspecific variation. Examined: 8♀, 4♂. Length: 12.3–13.9 mm (♀); 12.0– 14.8 mm (♂); fore wing length: 9.7–10.8 mm (♀), 7.3–10.6 mm (♂); ovipositor: 1.8–2.0x longer than fore wing. The colour of some parts of the body varies from light to dark tones: fore and mid coxae may be uniformly yellow orange or extensively or entirely dark brown; metasoma may be extensively darkened, with part of T1–T2 orange; clypeus and A1 may be dark brown, instead of orange. The colour of the tarsi does not vary in all the specimens examined.

Distribution. Sweden, Germany, Austria (*), Poland, Russia, including Siberia (*).

Remarks. The material examined significantly extends the distribution of this species to the south ( Austria) and to the east ( Russia, including Siberia).

Aulacus sibiricola Semenow, 1892 was described from one ♂ from Siberia (type locality: “Sibiria centralis: ad fl. Tunguskam Inferiorem”) ( Semenow 1892a, b). The type specimen was not previously located (see Smith 2001), but I found it in ZIN collection. Recently, this taxon was correctly transferred to the genus Pristaulacus by Smith (2001) on the basis of its description by Semenow (1892a, b). Based upon examination of this type specimen, it is possible to establish that Aulacus (= Pristaulacus ) sibiricola is a synonym of P. gibbator (syn. nov.). Several important features shared by these two taxa clearly support the proposed synonymy: 1) chromatic pattern; 2) shape, sculpture, and pubescence of head; 3) shape of occipital carina; 4) index length/width of A3–A5; 5) shape and sculpture of mesosoma; 6) shape of pronotum, without teeth on lateroventral margin; and 7) presence of three equally spaced teeth on the inner margin of claw. Regarding the latter character, it must be noted that in Semenow’s description it is stated only two teeth are present. However, from my examination, the basal tooth is present although very small and not easily recognizable in all the legs. Moreover, in several specimens of P. gibbator it is nearly absent in some legs. The specimen from Urzhum (ZIN) is incorrectly labelled as paratype of Odontaulacus sibiricola (Semenow) (Belokobylskij confirmavit 2003, in litteris).

Biology. Host: several authors ( Hedqvist 1973; Oehlke 1983, present contribution) indicate only one host,

Callidium coriaceum Paykull, 1800 ( Coleoptera , Cerambycidae ).