Aulacus brabyi Jennings & Austin, 2018

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 : 26

Aulacus brabyi Jennings & Austin , sp. nov.

Figs 11 , 57 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, " Gippsland [Victoria], xii.1915, no collector ( MVMA) . Paratypes. Victoria: 1♀, Olinda Vale , 16.xii.1905, F.S. ( MVMA) ; 1♀, Inglewood, Nixon, 2.i.1916 ( MVMA) ; 1♀, Worri Yallock, 23.xi.1930, A.N. Burns ( MVMA) .

Description. FEMALE. Length. 6.8 (5.8–7.3) mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Black ( Figs 11A, B ), tarsi and apical half of flagellomere 2 and flagellomeres 3–9 pale brown (these may be cream and discoloured with age). Wings hyaline, with pale brown tinge ( Fig. 11B ).

Head. 1.15 (1.1–1.23)× wider than long when viewed dorsally; face rugose, pubescence long, with subantennal groove; frons with distinct lateral medial carina above toruli, rugose, with short pubescence, longer near toruli; vertex punctate-reticulate, with scattered short setae; gena smooth, with scattered short setae, each associated with a shallow puncture; posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.19 (0.17–0.22)× height eye; clypeus 3.45 (3.42–3.5)× as wide as high, margin sinuate, distinct medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 1.0 (0.85–1.1)× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 2.1 (1.9–2.2)× length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.1 (0.9–1.4)× as long as scape, 0.7 (0.5–0.9)× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron rugose, long scattered setae, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum coarsely rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view slightly antero-dorsally ( Figs 11D, E ), medial lobe strigate, lateral lobe strigate tending to rugose, with scattered short setae, admedial lines present; notauli distinct, carinate, broad and shallow; scutellum and axillae coarsely rugose, scutellum anteriorly with pair of deep depressions, separated by a weak median carina; metapostnotum coarsely rugose, posterior margin scrobiculate, curved; mesopleuron coarsely rugose, with long pubescence; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron coarsely rugose, with short pubescence; propodeum coarsely rugose, posterior margin smooth; hind coxa strigate dorsally, pubescence long laterally, ovipositor guide absent ( Fig. 11F ); hind trochanter imbricate, with scattered short setae; prefemur on hind leg present; hind femur imbricate, with scattered short setae; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.74 (0.7–0.77)× length hind tibia; hind tibia with ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines; hind tarsomeres 1–4 with ventro-apical pecten of short robust spines, tarsomere 1, 3.0 (2.7–3.2)× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.46 (1.4–1.5)× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 1.6 (1.4–1.8)× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.49 (0.45–0.53)× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.5× length tarsomere 5; fore wing vein 2-Rs+M short, veins 2rm and 3r-m spectral medially; hind wing venation incomplete, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M absent, with 2–3 hamuli (25% 2, 75% 3).

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.27 (1.17–1.35)× length of mesosoma ( Fig. 11B ); T1 and T2 broad, glabrous, except for a few indistinct, shallow punctures; ovipositor 2.8 (2.30–3.35) mm ( Fig. 11A ).

MALE. Unknown.

Etymology. This species is named for the noted Australian lepidopterist, Michael F. Braby.

Distribution. This species is known from several localities in Victoria ( Fig. 57 ).

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

Comments. Aulacus brabyi keys out together with A. flavicornis but the two species vary substantially in that the ovipositor guide is absent in A. brabyi but is medial and transverse in the latter species. The two species also vary as follows: in A. brabyi , metasomal T1 and T2 is glabrous, except for a few indistinct, shallow punctures; body length 6.8 (5.8–7.3) mm, excluding ovipositor; and ovipositor 2.8 (2.30–3.35) mm, whereas in A. flavicornis , metasomal T1 and T2 is weakly rugulose-punctate dorsally; body length 9.0 mm, excluding ovipositor; and ovipositor short, 3.5 mm.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Aulacus brabyi sp. nov., paratype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) fronto-dorsal head; (D) lateral head; (E) dorso-lateral mesosoma; (F) dorsal hind coxae.

FIGURE 57. Distribution of Aulacus boonanghiensis sp. nov., A. brabyi sp. nov., A. broadi sp. nov., and A. burnsi sp. nov.