Pristaulacus alius Long, 2024

Pham, Nhi Thi, Long, Khuat Dang, Dzuong, Nguyen Van, Mai, Pham Quynh & Turrisi, Giuseppe Fabrizio, 2024, The genus Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Aulacidae) in Vietnam and Northeastern Laos with descriptions of ten new species, Zootaxa 5432 (2), pp. 213-249 : 218-220

Pristaulacus alius Long , sp. nov.

Figures 1–2, 23

Type material. VIETNAM: holotype, ♂, labelled, “Aulac. 009 ” ( IEBR), NW Vietnam: Son La, Thuan Chau, Co Ma forest , 21°19’02.2’’N 103°35’14.1’’E, 1591 m, MT, 27.iv–2.v.2016, HTHCT .

Etymology. Named from “alius ” (Latin for “another, other”).

Diagnosis. Head from above 1.1 × wider than long; occipital carina lamelliform, interrupted medially; median occipital groove deep, U-shaped; occipital carina 0.3 × diameter of an ocellus; pronotum, in lateral view with one projecting tooth-like process; fore wing without dark brown spots, apex slightly infuscate; fore wing vein 2-Rs+M relatively long, discal cell elongate; vein 3-Ma much shorter than vein 3-Mb; hind femur 0.7 × length of hind tibia; tarsal claws with four (3+) tooth-like processes; petiole elongate, almost parallel-sided, 6.7 × its apical width.

Description. (holotype, ♂), body length: 12.7 mm; antenna length: 8.2 mm; fore wing length: 9.6 mm ( Fig. 1).

Colour. Head black, frons, clypeus and malar space with long and dense goldish setae ( Fig. 2B); scape yellow; pedicel and flagellum black; mandible yellow basally, brown apically; labial palpi brown; first–second segments of maxillary palpi brown; segments 3–5 pale brown; mesosoma black; fore and middle legs yellow, except middle coxa dark brown basally; hind coxa blackish brown, yellow at extreme apex; hind trochanters, trochantellus, femur yellow; hind tibia largely brownish yellow, yellow basally and apically; wing membrane yellowish; fore wing without dark brown spots; veins brown; first metasomal tergite black, orange ventro-apically; tergites 2–7 brown dorsally, largely orange laterally and ventrally ( Fig. 1).

Head. From above 1.0 × wider than long dorsally; scape 1.3 × length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.4 × as long as scape, and 0.5 × length of second flagellomere; frons densely punctate; frons, clypeus and malar space with long and dense setae ( Fig. 2B); malar space 0.3 × eye length laterally ( Fig. 2C); frons with dense fine punctures; temple as long as eye length dorsally; occipital median groove U-shaped ( Fig. 2A); occipital carina narrow, incomplete medially, 0.3 × diameter of an ocellus; POL: OOL = 11: 11; vertex and temple with rather dense fine punctures; distance between punctures 2.0–2.5 × puncture diameter.

Mesosoma . Pronotum with one anteroventrally projecting tooth-like process ( Fig. 2E); propleuron areolate-rugulose, pubescence long; mesoscutum in lateral view almost perpendicular above pronotum; medial and lateral lobes transversely rugose, with short and sparse setae; scutellum and axillae rugose-coriaceous ( Fig. 2D); mesepisternum reticulate with short pubescence; metapostnotum wide, sparsely crenulate ( Fig. 2H); metapleuron reticulate-rugose, with short pubescence; propodeum largely areolate-rugose ( Fig. 2H); fore wing with vein 2-Rs almost straight; vein 1-Ma curved basally; r: 3-Rs = 14: 32; discal cell nearly quadrate; vein relatively long ( Fig. 2I); 2-Rs+M: 2-Ma: 3-Ma: 3-Mb = 3: 27: 7: 17; hind femur 0.7 × length of hind tibia; inner spur: outer spur = 12: 10; hind basitarsus 1.3 × length of tarsomeres 2–5 combined; hind basitarsus 3.1 × length of second tarsomere; second tarsomere 1.7 × length of third; third tarsomere 2.3 × length of fourth; fourth tarsomere 0.4 × length of fifth; hind tarsal claw with four tooth-like processes ( Fig. 2G).

Metasoma. Pyriform (lateral view), strongly compressed laterally; petiole narrowly elongate, almost parallel-sided, 6.7 × its apical width; segments 1 and 2 mostly polished and shiny, with fine and superficial rugosity; remaining segments polished and shiny.

Female. Unknown

Taxonomic remarks. Pristaulacus alius sp. nov. resembles closely P. manuelae Turrisi & Madl , described from a female from Laos, due to the shape of the head with elongate temple behind eye dorsally. We examined the holotype of P. manuelae and it is possible to ascertain the following main differences: 1) Occipital carina 0.3 × diameter of an ocellus (broader in P. manuelae , 1.0 × diameter of an ocellus); 2) Fore wing without substigmal spot (fore wing with a wide and well developed substigmal spot in P. manuelae ); 3) Setae goldish on head and mesosoma (setae whitish on head and mesosoma in P. manuelae ); 4) Hind tarsus yellowish (hind tarsus brownish in P. manuelae ). It also superficially resembles P. vietnamensis Turrisi & Smith , and P. simulatus sp. nov., but it is easily distinguished at first glance by the shape of the head, with very long temples behind eyes dorsally; other differences among these species are given in the key and descriptions.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Northwestern Vietnam (Lao Cai province) ( Fig. 23).