Aulacus truncatus ( Kieffer, 1911 )

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 : 87-88

Aulacus truncatus ( Kieffer, 1911)

Fig. 48 .

Aulacinus truncatus Kieffer 1911: 220 , 221.— Kieffer 1912: 350, 357; Hedicke 1939: 26.

Aulacus truncatus: Smith 2001: 276 , comb. nov.; Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist].

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, " Victoria 7.ix.[19]07" " Australia. R. E. Turner. 1907–244" ( BMNH–3 a.85; NHMUK010837007). Left flagellomeres 6–12, left hind tarsomeres 4–5 and claw, and right hind femur, tibia, tarsus and claw missing.

Description. FEMALE. Length. 7.0 mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Head and propleuron dark brown, scape and pedicel pale brown, flagellomeres dark brown, mesosoma black, legs predominantly pale brown, metasoma predominantly dark brown, T1 and T2 paler ( Figs 48A, B,C ). Fore wing brown apically on the marginal and submarginal cells ( Fig. 48A ).

Head. 1.35× wider than long when viewed dorsally; face rugulose, pubescence short; frons without lateral carina above toruli, rugulose-punctate, with short pubescence; vertex reticulate-punctate, with short pubescence; gena rugulose-punctate, with scattered short setae; posterior margin of head not concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.5× height eye; clypeus 2.5× as wide as high, rugulose; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.8× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.7× length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.0× as long as scape, 0.6× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron imbricate, pubescence short, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum imbricate; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally ( Fig. 48A ), medial and lateral lobes rugulose-punctate with short setae, admedial lines present; notauli distinct, carinate, narrow and deep; scutellum and axillae rugulosepunctate, scutellar depressions not visible; mesopleuron imbricate dorsally, rugose-areolate ventrally, with short pubescence; mesepimeron broad, scrobiculate; metapleuron imbricate dorsally, rugose-areolate ventrally, with short pubescence; propodeum coarsely rugose laterally, smooth medially and with two transverse carinae, posterior margin scrobiculate; hind coxa rugulose-punctate dorsally, imbricate laterally, pubescence short, ovipositor guide medial, oblique (largely hidden); hind trochanter imbricate, pubescence short; hind femur imbricate, pubescence short; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered emergent stout setae; hind femur 0.75× 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, 3.3× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.3× length tarsomere 3; segments 3-5 and hind tarsal claw missing; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m spectral medially; hind wing venation complete, R+Rs, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M spectral, with 2 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.54× length of mesosoma ( Fig. 48B ); T1 and T2 weakly imbricate, almost smooth, except for slight rugosity anteriorly on T1; ovipositor 5.5 mm.

MALE. Unknown.

Distribution. This species is known only from Victoria, with the exact locality unknown.

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

Comments. Aulacus truncatus is similar to A. tasmanicus . Both species have a medial, oblique ovipositor guide on the hind coxae but differ substantially in colouration, A. truncatus has the head and mesosoma black, metasoma predominantly dark brown, and T1 and T2 paler whereas in A. tasmanicus the head and mesosoma are black, and the metasoma dark brown. See also key for other differences.

Figures

FIGURE 48. Aulacus truncatus (Kieffer), holotype female, (A) lateral habitus; (B) lateral metasoma; (C) dorsal habitus (Images ©The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London)).