Aulacus quickei 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 : 76-77

Aulacus quickei Jennings & Austin , sp. nov.

Figs 41 , 65 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, 12.42 S 143.20 E, 13km ENE of Mt. Tozer QLD, 10 July 1986, T.Weir & A.Calder ( ANIC).

Description. FEMALE. Length. 6.3 mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Yellowish-brown ( Figs 41A, B ), except head with brown patch between ocelli, flagellomeres brown, small brown spot on apex of gena, pronotum and dorsal mesoscutellum darker yellow, lateral lobes brown, lateral mesothorax brown, mid coxae, trochanters and femora darker, hind legs brown, prefemur with yellow dorsoventral band, T1 brown, ovipositor and sheaths brown. Wings hyaline except for brown infuscation apically on the marginal and third submarginal cells of fore wing.

Head. 1.14× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 41D ); face punctate-rugose, scattered short setae, distinct sub-antennal groove; frons punctate-rugulose, median lateral longitudinal carina between toruli, scattered short setae; vertex and gena punctate with weakly rugulose underlying sculpturing, with scattered short setae ( Fig. 41D ); posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.4× height eye; clypeus 3.0× as wide as high, margin sinuate, prominent medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 1.0× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.7× length pedicel; first flagellomere 0.7× as long as scape, 0.55× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron largely hidden, scattered short setae; pronotum rugose; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally, medial and lateral lobes rugose, with scattered punctures, with scattered short setae, admedial lines indistinct; notauli distinct, carinate, broad and shallow ( Fig. 41E ); scutellum and axillae rugulose ( Fig. 41E ), with a few scattered punctures, scutellum with deep depression with three carinae; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron rugose, with a few striations postero-ventrally, pubescence short; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron rugose dorsally, coarsely postero-ventrally, with short pubescence, patch anteriorly before spiracle smooth; propodeum areolate (largely hidden), posterior margin smooth medially; hind coxa rugose laterally (largely hidden), pubescence short laterally, ovipositor guide medial, somewhat oblique (largely hidden); hind trochanter imbricate, short pubescence; prefemur on hind leg present; hind femur imbricate, short pubescence; hind tibia imbricate, pubescence short, with scattered stout emergent setae; hind femur 0.8× 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× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.5× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 2.0× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.5× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.5× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m largely spectral; hind wing venation complete, M+Cu, r-m and 2-M spectral, Cu nebulous, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.5× length of mesosoma ( Figs 41A, B ); T1 and T2 broad, all tergites imbricate dorsally, with scattered punctures, scattered short setae ( Fig. 41F ); ovipositor 8.0 mm.

MALE. Unknown.

Etymology. This species is named after the noted hymenopterist and author Donald L. J. Quicke, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.

Distribution. This species is known only from Mt. Tozer in the Kutini-Payamu ( Iron Range ) National Park, Queensland ( Fig. 65 ).

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

Comments. Although A. quickei keys out with A. doddi , the two species are readily separated by the characters in the key. Both species share a number of characters, especially mesoscutum in lateral view rounded anterodorsally, metasoma ovate, fore wing with apical brown spot, hind wing venation complete, and hind coxa with oblique ovipositor guide.

Figures

FIGURE 41. Aulacus quickei sp. nov., holotype female, (A) dorsal habitus; (B) lateral habitus; (C) lateral head, pronotum and mesoscutum; (D) dorsal head; (E) dorsal mesosoma; (F) dorsal metasomal T1 and T2.

FIGURE 65. Distribution of Aulacus quickei sp. nov., A. rieki sp. nov., A. scitulus sp. nov., and A. smithi sp. nov.