Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi

Turrisi, Giuseppe Fabrizio & Konishi, Kazuhiko, 2011, Description of two new Aulacidae (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea) from Japan, Zootaxa 2872, pp. 35-48 : 41-46

Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi , sp. n.

( Figs 12–22 )

Type material. JAPAN: holotype Ƥ labelled “ 33°14’N 132°38’E, Narukawa-keikoku, Kihoku-chô, Ehime Pref., Shikoku, Japan, 12.VIII.2007, Y. Kawakami/ Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi sp. n. Ƥ 2010 Holotypus ” ( ITLJ); paratype Ƥ labelled “ 33°14’N 132°38’E, Narukawa-keikoku, Kihoku-chô, Ehime Pref., Shikoku, Japan, 30.VII.2005, Y. Kawakami/ Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi sp. n. Ƥ 2010 Paratypus ” ( UCCT); paratype Ƥ labelled “ 34°03’N 139°29’E, Ako, Miyake-jima Is., Japan, 30.VII.2008, H. Makihara, Malaise trap/ Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi sp. n. Ƥ 2010 Paratypus ” ( UCCT).

Etymology. The name of the new species is an adjective referring to its magnificent appearance, e.g. its large size and the metallic hue on the body.

Description (holotype, Ƥ). Length: 16.5 mm; antenna length: 10.7 mm; fore wing length: 14.5 mm; ovipositor length: 21.3 mm.

Colour mainly black, head and mesosoma with extensively blue metallic hue; mandible black to blackish; maxillo-labial complex black with maxillary palpi brownish; A2–14 blackish to blackish brown; legs blackish brown, with metallic blue hue (except on tibiae and tarsi); wings hyaline with veins and stigma black with blue metallic hue; fore wing with a subquadrate dark brown spot below stigma (as wide as stigma length), extended posteriorly to anterior margin of SM2. Setae: whitish, partly goldish on mandible.

Head, from above 1.4× wider than long, weakly shiny to dull, very weakly rugulose, especially on vertex and middle frons; occipital margin weakly concave; temple, from above, moderately developed, rounded, about 0.8× eye length; occipital carina narrow, 0.2–0.3× diameter of an ocellus; POL:OOL= 0.7; vertex and upper half of temple with fine to moderately coarse, superficial and dense punctures (distance between punctures 1.0–2.0× puncture diameters); lower temple, behind eye, with moderately coarse, moderately deep and dense punctures (distance between punctures 1.0–2.0× puncture diameters); upper half of frons with moderately coarse, moderately deep and dense to very dense punctures (distance between punctures about 0.5–1.0× puncture diameters); lower half of frons with weakly defined and dense punctures (distance between punctures 0.5–1.0× puncture diameters), except subantennal groove impunctate; clypeus with coarse, deep and very dense punctures; malar area rugulose-punctate, except posterior half, polished, with moderately coarse, superficial and dense punctures, less dense on posterior half; occipital area with very fine, superficial and dense punctures; antenna 0.7× fore wing length; A3 3.9× longer than wide; A4 4.7× longer than wide, and 1.2× longer than A3; A5 5.1× longer than wide, and 1.2× longer than A3. Setae: erect, moderately long and moderately dense on vertex; semi erect to erect, moderately long and dense on temple (length of setae 0.7–0.8× diameter of an ocellus); erect, moderately long and dense on upper frons; recumbent, short to moderately long and moderately dense on lower frons and clypeus; recumbent, short and scattered to moderately dense on malar area.

Mesosoma coarsely sculptured; pronotum areolate-rugose, with one weak large and obtuse tooth-like process on lateroventral margin, above side of propleuron; propleuron polished and shiny with moderately coarse, moderately deep and dense punctures on dorsal surface, moderately coarse, superficial and dense punctures on ventral surface (distance between punctures 1.0–2.0× puncture diameters); prescutum triangular, wide, long, moderately concave, mostly polished, except in middle, weakly transverse-carinulate; mesoscutum mostly transverse-carinate, areolate-rugose along transscutal fissure; dorsally not prominent, anterior margin slightly prominent and angulate (lateral view); notauli very deep and narrow; scutellum mostly transverse-carinate, polished in middle, with concentric carinae; mesopleuron areolate-rugose, except a moderately wide part of subalar area polished-punctate, with punctures coarse, very superficial and moderately dense; metanotum scrobiculate; propodeum areolaterugose, except dorsal surface transverse carinate, with carinae strongly arched and concentric, anterior margin longitudinally carinate, posterior surface with two very wide and moderately long lamelliform tooth-like processes on sides, above middle; venter of mesosoma mostly polished-punctate, punctures fine, very superficial and moderately dense, scrobiculate in middle; fore wing with vein 2-rs+m short; coxa I mostly polished-punctate to weakly transverse-carinulate (on base), with moderately coarse, superficial and dense punctures on ventral surface; coxa II polished-punctate on dorsal surface, with fine to moderately coarse, deep and dense punctures, transverse-carinulatepunctate on ventral surface, with coarse, superficial and moderately dense punctures; coxa III polished-punctate to transverse-carinulate (on sides) on dorsal surface, with fine, deep and moderately dense punctures, polished-punctate (in middle) to transverse- carinulate (on sides) to transverse-carinate (on apical lobe) on ventral surface, with fine, deep and moderately dense punctures (distance between punctures 2.0–3.0× puncture diameters); outer spur of mid tibia longer than inner spur; inner spur of hind tibia longer than outer spur; hind basitarsus 13.2× longer than wide, and 1.4× longer than tarsomeres 2–5; tarsal claw with four tooth-like processes. Setae: erect, very short and moderately dense on dorsal surface, slightly longer and denser on propodeum; semi erect to erect, short and dense on sides and venter of mesosoma, slightly longer and denser on pronotum; erect, moderately long and moderately dense on hind surface of propodeum; erect, moderately long and dense on propleuron (setae length at most 0.5× pretarsus length).

Metasoma pyriform (lateral view), slightly compressed laterally; petiole moderately elongate, moderately slen- der, 2.2× longer than wide; segments 1 and 2 mostly polished and shiny, impunctate, except middle of S2 with fine, superficial and moderately dense punctures; following segments polished-punctate, with very fine, superficial and dense punctures, except laterally on tergites; S7 polished with moderately coarse, deep and dense punctures; T8 microsculptured with fine to moderately coarse, superficial to deep and scattered to dense punctures; ovipositor 1.5× fore wing length. Setae: metasomal segment 1, T2 and sides of following tergites and sternites glabrous; recumbent, short and moderately dense on middle of following tergites; recumbent, short and scattered on middle of following sternites; semi erect, short and dense on S7.

3 unknown.

Variation. Length: 15.3–17.3 mm; fore wing length: 13.1–15.3 mm. Colour pattern almost constant, but metallic hue dull green on mesosoma of one paratype and on head and mesosoma of other paratype.

Remarks. This is a large species with a relatively long ovipositor (1.5× fore wing length). It is readily recognizable among the Palaearctic Pristaulacus by the metallic hue on head and mesosoma and the presence of a toothlike process on each side of hind surface of propodeum ( Fig. 18 ). The latter is a character shared by only two other Palaearctic Pristaulacus , P. gibbator (Thunberg 1822) and an undescribed Japanese species ( Turrisi & Watanabe 2011). However, these two processes, which originate from the lateral most part of the medial transverse carinae of propodeum, are less conspicuous in P. gibbator and variable in size, from very weak and hardly recognizable to moderately developed.

Distribution. Japan (Shikoku, Miyake-jima Is.).

Biology. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi, sp. n. (holotype Ƥ): habitus.

FIGURES 13 – 16. Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi, sp. n. (holotype Ƥ): 13, head, dorsal view; 14, head, frontal view; 15, head lateral view; 16, antenna, dorsal view.

FIGURES 17 – 19. Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi, sp. n. (holotype Ƥ): 17, mesosoma, dorsal view; 18, mesosoma, lateral view (arrow indicates the posterior tooth-like process on propodeum); 19, mid and hind coxae, ventral view.

FIGURES 20 – 22. Pristaulacus superbus Turrisi & Konishi, sp. n. (holotype Ƥ): 20, wings; 21, hind tarsus, lateral view, and detail of tarsal claw; 22, metasoma, lateral view.