Aulacus boonanghiensis Jennings & Parslow, 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 : 24-26

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4538.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E4D8D897-3CBE-4FA6-95C3-143A945229A4

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3798370

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3E4187A0-1744-4E10-FF54-FD5DFE80FE64

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Aulacus boonanghiensis Jennings & Parslow
status

sp. nov.

Aulacus boonanghiensis Jennings & Parslow , sp. nov.

Figs 10 View FIGURE 10 , 57 View FIGURE 57 .

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, " The Blowhole , Boonanghi S.F., W of Kempsey, NSW. 15-20 Feb 1994, G. Williams " "emerged from fallen Backhousia myrtifolia branch ex rainforest" ( AMS). Antennal flagellomeres 5–12 missing . Paratypes. NSW: 2♀, 2♂, same location and collector as holotype, various dates ( AMS) .

Description. FEMALE. Length. 4.70 (4.50–5.20) mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Head and mesosoma black except mandibles brown, scape and pedicel orange, flagellomeres brown, legs orange, metasoma black except somites 1–3 orange, with variable amounts of black anteriorly on T1. Wings hyaline, slightly fuscous on apex of marginal and submarginal cells of fore wing ( Fig. 10A View FIGURE 10 ).

Head. 1.44 (1.40–1.50)× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 10C View FIGURE 10 ); face rugulose-reticulate, pubescence long; indistinct sub-antennal groove; frons without lateral medial carina above toruli, rugose, with long pubescence, denser towards toruli; vertex punctate-reticulate, with scattered short setae; gena punctate-reticulate, with scattered short setae; posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.20 (0.18–0.21)× height eye; clypeus 3.2× as wide as high, margin sinuate, with medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.75× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.6× length pedicel; first flagellomere about equal to length scape, 0.8× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron rugulose, pubescence long, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum rugulose-reticulate; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally ( Fig. 10E View FIGURE 10 ), medial and lateral lobes strigate, with scattered short setae, admedial lines present ( Fig. 10D View FIGURE 10 ); notauli distinct, carinate, broad and shallow ( Fig. 10D View FIGURE 10 ); scutellum and axillae strigate, scutellum anteriorly with a single depression; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin convex; mesopleuron rugose, with long pubescence; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron rugose, with short pubescence; propodeum coarsely rugose tending to areolate medially, posterior margin scrobiculate; hind coxa strigate dorsally, pubescence long laterally, ovipositor guide somewhat distal, oblique ( Fig. 10F View FIGURE 10 ), fringe of long setae on distal margin, smooth in the groove; 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 0.80 (0.75–0.83)× 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, 2.35 (2.15–2.50)× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.45× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 2.25× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.67× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.5× length tarsomere 5; fore wing veins 2r-m and 3r-m largely spectral; hind wing venation incomplete, R+Rs, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M absent, with 3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.22 (1.15–1.26)× length of mesosoma ( Fig. 10B View FIGURE 10 ); T1 and T2 narrow, glabrous; ovipositor 3.3 (3.2–3.5) mm.

MALE. Similar to female except: length 5.0 (4.5–5.4) mm; metasoma narrower in lateral view. There is also some variation between the two male specimens; one has eyes about the same size as that of the females, but the other has eyes half that size.

Etymology. This species is named after the holotype locality, Boonanghi State Forest, NSW.

Distribution. This species is known from the type locality, Boonanghi State Forest, west of Kempsey, NSW ( Fig. 57 View FIGURE 57 ).

Biology. All specimens emerged from dead or fallen branches of Backhousia myrtifolia (Myrtaceae) .

Comments. Aulacus boonanghiensis keys out with A. atriceps . Both species have an ovate metasoma and an oblique, medial ovipositor guide on the hind coxae. The two species are, however, quite different in colouration (see comments above under A. atriceps ).

The marked variation in eye size between the two male specimens has not been noted in the males of other species. Until more males are collected and examined, we cannot say whether this is normal variation or simply an aberration.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Curculionidae

Genus

Aulacus

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