Aulacus aroueti ( Girault, 1926 )

Jennings, John T., Parslow, Ben A. & Austin, Andrew D., 2018, Systematics of the parasitoid wasp genus Aulacus Jurine (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea: Aulacidae) from Australia, Zootaxa 4538 (1), pp. 1-113 : 16-17

Aulacus aroueti ( Girault, 1926)

Figs 5 , 55 .

Pammegischia aroueti Girault 1926: 136 .— Hedicke 1939: 23.

Aulacus aroueti Smith 2001: 269 ; Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist].

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, “Gympie, Qld. QM. Specimen badly damaged. Head and antennae, left wings missing, left fore leg missing tarsus, right fore leg glued to card and missing tarsus, left hind leg missing, right hind leg missing tarsomeres 4–5, metasoma glued to card.

Description. FEMALE. Length. Meso- and metasoma 8.2 mm, head missing, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Body black. Wings hyaline except for brown spot apically on marginal and submarginal cells of fore wing. Fore and mid coxa and trochanters dark brown, fore and mid femur and tibia brown, tibia with pale longitudinal stripe on lateral surface, tarsus cream, hind leg dark brown, except femur lighter, apex of basitarsus and remaining tarsomeres cream. Metasoma dark brown except T2 generally paler. Ovipositor sheath dark brown, cream band in apical third, tip dark brown, ovipositor pale brown.

Head. Missing

Mesosoma. Propleuron rugose, more or less rugulose dorsally, pubescence short, dense, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally ( Fig. 5B ), medial and lateral lobes rugose-strigate with scattered short setae, admedial lines weak; notauli distinct, scrobiculate, broad and deep; scutellum and axillae rugose-strigate, scutellum anteriorly with a single large depression; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin straight; mesopleuron rugose, coarser ventrally, with short pubescence; mesepimeron broad, rugose dorsally to carinate ventrally; metapleuron coarsely rugose, with short pubescence; propodeum areolate, coarsely rugose laterally, posterior margin smooth; hind coxa strigate dorsally, ovipositor guide medial, oblique ( Fig. 5D ), fringe of long setae on distal margin, scattered short setae in groove; hind trochanter imbricate, with short setae; prefemur on hind leg present; hind femur imbricate, with short setae; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.77× length hind tibia; hind tibia with ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines; hind tarsomeres 1–3 with ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines (tarsomeres 4 and 5 missing), tarsomere 1, 2.3× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.4× length tarsomere 3; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m spectral medially, hind wing venation incomplete, R+Rs, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M absent, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.3× length of mesosoma ( Fig. 5C ); T1 and T2 narrow, glabrous ( Fig. 5C ); ovipositor 9.4 mm.

MALE. Unknown.

Distribution. This species is known only from the holotype locality Gympie, Queensland ( Fig. 55 ).

Biology. Nothing is known of the biology of this species.

Comments. The holotype described by Girault (1926) was, until recently, presumed lost ( Smith 2001; Jennings 2010), but was discovered recently in the QM collection. Unfortunately, the holotype is in a very poor state of preservation making it difficult to associate with any extant specimens.

Aulacus aroueti keys out with A. anici . Both species have a medial, oblique ovipositor guide but differ in a number of features, especially colouration (see comments under the latter species).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Aulacus aroueti (Girault), holotype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) dorso-lateral metasoma; (D) inner side of right coxa.

FIGURE 55. Distribution of Aulacus albimanus (Kieffer), A. anici sp. nov., A. aquilus sp. nov., and A. aroueti (Girault).