Pristaulacus simulatus Long, Jennings & Turrisi, 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 : 233-235

Pristaulacus simulatus Long, Jennings & Turrisi , sp. nov.

Figures 13–14, 23

Type material. VIETNAM: holotype, ♀, labelled “Aulac. 008 ” ( IEBR), NW Vietnam: Son La, Thuan Chau, Copia forest , 21°20’ N 103°35’E, 1506 m, light trap, 15.v.2017 ” ( HTHCT) . LAOS: paratype ♀, labelled “ LAOS, Phongsaly pr., Pho [n]gsaly env., about 1500 m, N21°41’ E 102°06’, Pacholátko lg., 06/2003” ( TGFF) .

Etymology. Named from “simulo” (Latin for “imitate, copy”), because this new species is similar to P. calidus Chen, Turrisi & Xu, 2016 .

Diagnosis. Head from above 1.2 × wider than long; occipital carina lamelliform, interrupted medially; occipital groove deep, U-shaped ( Fig. 14A); occipital carina lamelliform, 0.6 × diameter of an ocellus; pronotum, in lateral view, with one acute projecting tooth-like process; mesoscutum in lateral view slightly protruding above pronotum; V-shaped antero-median depression of mesoscutum shallow and crenulate; fore wing vein 2-Rs+M long; discal cell nearly parallel-sided ( Fig. 14J); wing membrane hyaline, with large brown substigmal spot; hind femur 0.6 × length of hind tibia; tarsal claws with three (3+) tooth-like processes ( Fig. 14G); petiole slender, broadly widened apically, 3.3 × its apical width ( Fig. 14I); ovipositor 1.2 × fore wing length.

Description. (holotype, ♀), body length: 11.5 mm; antenna length: 7.9 mm; fore wing length: 8.8 mm; ovipositor length: 10.4 mm ( Fig. 13A).

Colour. Head black; scape yellow, brown dorsally; pedicel and flagellum dark brown to black; palpi dark brown; mandible yellow, brown at apex; mesosoma black; fore leg yellow, except coxa dark brown; mid coxa black; mid trochanter, trochantellus and femur dorsally pale brown; hind femur ventrally, tibia brownish-yellow; apical one third of hind tibia and tarsus yellow, except fifth tarsus pale brown; fore wing vein pale brown; wing membrane hyaline, with large brown substigmal spot ( Fig. 14J); metasoma black, pale yellow laterally; ovipositor sheath brown; ovipositor yellow.

Head. From above 1.2 × wider than long; scape 0.9 × length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.4 × as long as scape, and 0.6 × length of second flagellomere; frons densely punctate, pubescence long and sparse ( Fig. 14B); malar space 0.3 × eye length dorsally; clypeus 1.9 × as wide as high; mandible with dense and short setae basally, long and sparse setae at apex; frons finely and evenly punctate; temple 0.7 × eye length dorsally (excluding occipital carina); occipital carina lamelliform, incomplete, interrupted along median groove, moderately broad, lamelliform, 0.6 × diameter of an ocellus; POL: OOL = 12: 13 ( Fig. 14A); vertex and temple shiny with fine scattered punctures; distance between punctures 2.0–3.0 × puncture diameters.

Mesosoma . Pronotum, in lateral view, with one robust projecting tooth-like process ( Fig. 14E); propleuron crenulate medially, pubescence long and dense; mesoscutum in lateral view slightly protruding above pronotum; notauli crenulate; V-shaped antero-median depression of mesoscutum shallow and crenulate ( Fig. 14D); lateral lobes transverse rugose ( Fig. 14D); scutellum entirely and densely transverse-carinate; mesepisternum with short pubescence; metapostnotum wide, sparsely crenulate ( Fig. 14H); metapleuron and propodeum areolate-rugose with sparse long setae; fore wing with vein 2-Ma nearly straight, and vein 2-Rs distinctly curved basally ( Fig. 14J); r: 3-RS = 15: 23; discal cell nearly parallel-sided; 2-Rs+M long, 2-Rs+M: 2-Ma: 3-Ma: 3-Mb = 5: 25: 11: 13 ( Fig. 14J); hind coxa slender, with dense transverse striae ventrally on inner margin ( Fig. 13B), subapical groove (ovipositor guide) deep, smooth ( Fig. 13C); apical trochanteral groove deep; trochantellus distinct ( Fig. 13B); hind femur 0.6 × length of hind tibia; inner spur: outer spur = 10: 7; hind basitarsus 1.2 × length of tarsomeres 2–5 combined ( Fig. 14F); hind basitarsus 3.3 × length of second tarsomere; second tarsomere 1.4 × length of third; third tarsomere 2.2 × length of fourth; fourth tarsomere 0.4 × length of fifth; tarsal claw with three tooth-like processes ( Fig. 14G).

Metasoma. Pyriform (lateral view), weakly compressed laterally; petiole slender, broadly widened apically, 3.3 × its apical width ( Fig. 14I); petiole and tergite 2 mostly polished and shiny; remaining tergites with fine dense superficial punctures, and pubescence short and dense; ovipositor 1.2 × fore wing length.

Male. Unknown.

Intraspecific variation. Examined 2♀. The colour pattern is not variable: in the paratype, the sole difference is represented by the darker reddish orange of scape and mandibles. Body length: 11.3–11.5 mm; antenna length: 7.7–7.9 mm; fore wing length: 8.7–8.8 mm; ovipositor length: 10.4–11.7 mm; ovipositor length 1.2–1.3 × fore wing length.

Taxonomic remarks. Pristaulacus simulatus , sp. nov. differs from P. calidus Chen, Turrisi & Xu, 2016 , from China (Yunnan), by the following characters: 1) Temple sharply convergent behind eye (vs parallel behind eye in P. calidus ); 2) Occipital medial groove about as long as broad (vs longer than broad in P. calidus ); 3) Head shiny with punctures fine and scattered (vs head dull with coarse and moderately dense punctures in P. calidus ); 4) Occipital carina lamelliform, 0.6 × diameter of an ocellus (vs 0.5 × in P. calidus ); 5) Hind tarsal claws with three tooth-like processes (vs five in P. calidus ); 6) Scutellum entirely densely transverse-carinate (transverse-carinate medially, areolate-rugose anteriorly and posteriorly in P. calidus ).

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Northwestern Vietnam (Son La province); Northeastern Laos (Phongsali province) ( Fig. 23).