Aulacus fuscicornis Cameron, 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 : 44-46

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.3798442
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3E4187A0-1778-4E24-FF54-FB26FE97FA2C
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Aulacus fuscicornis Cameron, 1911
status

Treatment

Figs 23 View FIGURE 23 , 60 View FIGURE 60 .

Aulacus fuscicornis Cameron 1911: 345 .— Hedicke 1939: 18; Riek 1970: 903; Smith 2001: 271; Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist].

Material examined. Holotype. ♀ "Bred from longicorn larvae NSW 11.1.[19]09. (in W.W. Froggatt's handwriting)" " P. Cameron Coll. 1914–110" ( BMNH 3 a. 91) . Paratype. NSW: 1♀, same data as holotype ( BMNH) .

Other Material examined. NSW: 1♀, 1 larval skin, 1 pupal case, no location, 11.I.[19]09 ( ASCU) ; 2♀, same data ( BMNH) . Queensland: 3♀, 2♂, Petrie, 10.XII.1975, M. De Baar ( BMNH) .

Description. FEMALE. Length. 6.4 (6.0–6.6) mm, excluding ovipositor.

Colour. Head and mesosoma black, scape and pedicel pale brown, flagellomeres dark brown, legs orange except for variable amounts of black on coxae, metasoma orange except for variable amounts of black on T1, ovipositor sheaths dark brown, ovipositor orange ( Figs 23A, B View FIGURE 23 ). Wings hyaline ( Fig. 23A View FIGURE 23 ).

Head. 1.7 (1.6–1.9)× wider than long when viewed dorsally ( Fig. 23C View FIGURE 23 ); face rugose-reticulate, pubescence short; deep sub-antennal groove; frons without lateral medial carina above toruli, rugose-reticulate, with short pubescence; vertex punctate-reticulate, with a few lateral striations, with scattered short setae ( Fig. 23C View FIGURE 23 ); gena punctate-reticulate, with scattered short setae; posterior margin of head slightly concave in dorsal view; occipital carina absent; malar space 0.33 (0.30–0.36)× height eye; clypeus 3.0 (2.9–3.1)× as wide as high, dome-like, margin sinuate, weak medial process; distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 1.4× distance between lateral ocelli; scape 1.7× length pedicel; first flagellomere 0.9× as long as scape, 0.9× as long as second flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Propleuron reticulate, pubescence long, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum rugose-reticulate, mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally ( Fig. 23D View FIGURE 23 ), medial and lateral lobes coarsely rugose, scattered punctures on lateral lobes, with scattered long setae, admedial lines weak; notauli distinct, carinate, broad and shallow; scutellum and axillae coarsely rugose, scutellum anteriorly with pair of deep depressions, somewhat oblique, separated by a median carina; metapostnotum scrobiculate, posterior margin almost straight; mesopleuron coarsely rugose, with long pubescence; mesepimeron broad, carinate; metapleuron coarsely rugose, with short pubescence; propodeum coarsely rugose, posterior margin scrobiculate; hind coxa strigate dorsally, pubescence long laterally, ovipositor guide somewhat distal, anteriorly oblique ( Fig. 23G View FIGURE 23 ), long setae on distal margin, no setae inside of 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 0.69 (0.67–0.71)× 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, 3.1 (2.9–3.2)× length tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2, 1.6× length tarsomere 3; tarsomere 3, 1.4× length tarsomere 4; tarsomere 4, 0.6× length tarsomere 5; hind tarsal claw 0.6× length tarsomere 5; fore wing vein 2r-m absent and 3r-m largely spectral; hind wing venation complete, R+Rs, M+Cu, Cu, r-m and 2-M spectral, with 2–3 hamuli.

Metasoma. Ovate, 1.35 (1.25–1.46)× length of mesosoma; T1 and T2 broad, smooth, except for several small, shallow punctures dorsally and anteriorly; ovipositor 7.5 (6.8–7.9) mm.

MALE. Similar to female except: length 5.3 (5.1–5.5) mm; last few metasomal segments with variable amounts of dark brown; genitalia black; digitus longer than penis valves and parameres ( Fig. 23H View FIGURE 23 ).

PUPA. Pupal case pale brown, testaceous, ovoid, 6.5 mm long× 2.7 mm wide.

LARVA. The larval skin is badly preserved. Head 2.5 mm broad; pronotum heavily sclerotised, dark brown; mandibles black, chisel-like, lacking teeth; clypeus with several stout setae.

Distribution. The holotype was collected from an unknown location in NSW, with a number of paratypes collected from Petrie, Queensland ( Fig. 60 View FIGURE 60 ).

Biology. This species is apparently a parasitoid of cerambycid larvae, but one label in ASCU in W.W. Froggatt's handwriting indicates that it may have come from either cerambycid or buprestid larvae. The larva and pupa were apparently bred from longicorn larvae (the label on the specimens is in W. W. Frogatt’s handwriting and were collected on the same date as the holotype adult). This is also the only Australian species where the larval and pupal stages are known.

Comments. Aulacus fuscicornis is similar to A. rieki because both species have the mesoscutum rounded antero-dorsally in lateral view, fore wing without a brown spot apically, hind wing venation complete, metasoma ovate, and frons without a lateral medial carina above the toruli. However, they differ in a number of characters. Aulacus fuscicornis has a face that is rugose-reticulate and without punctures, head and mesosoma black, and metasoma orange except for variable amounts of black on T1, whereas A. rieki has a punctate-rugose face and body dark brown-black.

The male is similar to the female but is smaller and has extra brown colouration on the last few metasomal segments.