Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900

Published, First, 2007, Revision of the Palaearctic species of Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Aulacidae), Zootaxa 1433, pp. 1-76 : 10

Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900

Aulacostethus Philippi, 1873: 302 . Type species: A. rubriventer Philippi , by monotypy (preoccupied by Waterhouse, 1869, in Coleoptera and by Uhler, 1871, in Heteroptera).

Aulacosthethus Schletterer, 1890: 523 . Error.

Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900a: 813 . Type species: P. chlapowskii Kieffer , designated by Kieffer, 1903: 455.

Deraiodontus Bradley , 190la: 29 (no species included). Type species: Aulacus montanus Cresson , by subsequent designation. First species included by Bradley, 1901b: 321.

Oleisoprister Bradley, 1901b: 324 . Type species: Aulacus firmus Cresson , by original designation.

Aulacostathus Dalla Torre, 1902: 1062 . Error.

Anaulacus Semenow, 1903: 173 . Type species: Aulacus sibiricola Semenow , by subsequent designation of Bradley, 1908: 120. Preoccupied by MacLeay, 1825, in Coleoptera .

Semenowia Kieffer, 1903: 382 . Nomen novum pro Anaulacus Semenow. Preoccupied by Weise, 1889, in Coleoptera .

Odontaulacus Kieffer, 1903: 382 . Type species: Aulacus rufitarsis Cresson , designated by Bradley, 1908: 120.

Semenovius Bradley, 1908: 120 , 123. Nomen novum pro Semenowia Kieffer.

Tropaulacus Bradley, 1908: 120 . Type species: T. torridus Bradley , by original designation.

Pristaulacus (Neaulacus) Bradley, 1908: 121 . Type species: Aulacus occidentalis Cresson , by original designation.

Interaulacus Bradley, 1908: 120 . Type species: I. kiefferi Bradley , by original designation.

Tetraulacinus Kieffer, 1910: 350 . No species included. Type species: Pristaulacus rufobalteatus Cameron , by subsequent monotypy. First species included by Kieffer, 1911: 214.

Psilaulacus Kieffer, 1910: 350 . No species included. Type species: P. annulatus Kieffer , by subsequent monotypy. First species included by Kieffer, 1911: 215.

Aulacosthetus Kieffer, 1912: 370 . Error.

Aulacites Cockerell, 1916: 102 . Type species: Aulacites secundus Cockerell , by original designation.

Aulacomastus Muesebeck & Walkley, 1956: 333 . Unnecessary nomen novum pro Aulacostethus Philippi.

Odontacolus Kozlov, 1988: 242 . Error.

Remarks. In the description of the genus Pristaulacus, Kieffer (1900a) included only three species: P. morawitzi (Semenow) , P. patrati (Audinet-Serville) and P. bimaculatus Kieffer (= P. galitae Gribodo ). Since then, several new genera of Aulacidae allied to the genus Pristaulacus have been described, mainly on the basis of details of wing veins and of the number of teeth on inner margin of the claw. These genera (see below, synonymic synopsis) were considered as subgenera ( Szépligeti 1903; Bradley 1908, 1926) or as synonyms ( Townes 1950) of Pristaulacus . According to Townes (1950) the diagnostic characters of these genera are too variable within the same species (wing veins), or otherwise not valid to separate taxa at the generic level (number of teeth on inner margin of claw); thus, he suggested to distinguish subgenera or species groups within Pristaulacus , on a worldwide scale ( Townes 1950). This opinion is currently the most reasonable, and it is followed here, although a preliminary cladistic analysis suggests a more complex and different generic assessment (Turrisi unpubl.).

The genus Pristaulacus shows a wide range of variability in most morphological characters but, as cur- rently defined ( Townes 1950; Smith 1996; Turrisi 2004, 2006a), Pristaulacus can be distinguished from Aulacus mainly on the basis of two apomorphic features: a) presence of a well-defined occipital carina (the medial part is obsolete in some Australian and Afrotropical species, see Jennings et al. 2004a and Turrisi 2006a, but it is completely absent in Aulacus ); b) claw pectinate, with two to six teeth on its inner margin (not pectinate in Aulacus , with only one very small basal tooth). From Panaulix , of which I have examined the type species, P. rex Benoit, 1984 (holotype in MRAC, Benoit 1984), it can be distinguished by the following characters: a) body length (excluding ovipositor), usually less than 20 mm (more than 25 mm in Panaulix ); b) clypeus with a median tooth (with a lamelliform process in Panaulix ); c) A1 globose (elongate in Panaulix ); d) A1 without a weak longitudinal carina (present in Panaulix ); e) setae of mesoscutum usually erect, short, and scattered (recumbent, long, and very dense in Panaulix ); f) hind coxa usually more or less sculptured (polished and smooth in Panaulix ); g) hind tibia subcylindrical (enlarged and laterally compressed in Panaulix ) (Turrisi 2004, 2006a).