Aulacus dispilis TOWNES, 1950

Smith, David R., 2008, Aulacidae of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America (Hymenoptera), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 58 (2), pp. 267-355 : 292-294

Aulacus dispilis TOWNES

( Figs 42-44 )

Aulacus dispilis TOWNES 1950: 114 .– TOWNES 1951: 659.– WALKLEY 1967: 285.– CARLSON 1979: 1114.– SMITH 2001: 270.

Diagnosis:

Orange with metasoma and legs darker, more brownish; base of hind tibia white. Head with deep, scattered punctures. Mesonotum with coarse transverse carinae. Hind coxa shining, with few fine punctures.

Female:

Length, 7.5 mm; forewing length, 5.5 mm; ovipositor length, 6.0 mm. Color: Antenna black with scape and pedicel orange; head and mesosoma orange, blackish on venter of propleuron, mesosternum, and ventral propodeum; fore- and midlegs orange with coxae black; hind leg black with basal fifth of tibia white and tarsus orange. Metasoma brown with white band on second segment. Ovipositor sheath with white band. Wings hyaline, forewing with apical black spot, veins and stigma black. Color of both sexes similar. Head: Antennal length 2.5X longer than head width. Lower interocular distance 1.1X eye height; malar space 0.3X eye height ( Fig. 42 ). Head from above short and sharply narrowing behind eye ( Fig. 43 ). Vertex and frons with widely scattered punctures separated by flat shining interspaces mostly equal to or less than puncture diameters ( Figs 42, 43 ). Mesosoma: Propleuron shining, finely punctate. Mesoscutal middle lobe with transverse carinae, lateral lobes with transverse carinae mixed with reticulations; notauli meet transscutal articulation at about same point ( Fig. 44 ); axillae reticulate; mesoscutellum with about 5 transverse carinae mixed with reticulations, laterally reticulate ( Fig. 44 ); pronotum reticulate; mesopleuron reticulate with band of carinae on posterior margin; metapleuron shining and smooth on dorsal half, reticulate on ventral half; propodeum reticulate. Hind coxa shining finely punctured, especially on sides and at apex and with indistinct transverse striae near apex, 1.7X longer than broad, ovipositor guide indistinct. Hind basitarsus subequal in length to length of remaining tarsal segments combined. Metasoma: Shining, with fine white pubescence on segment 3 to apex. Ovipositor length about 1.2X forewing length.

Male: Length, 6.5 mm; forewing length, 4.8 mm. Color and structure similar to female.

Holotype: Female , from “Brownsville, Texas, March 20, 1908, Jones and Pratt” ( USNM). Described from one female.

Other specimens examined: TEXAS: Brownsville , bred, Celtis mississip ., H. S. Barber, Collector, Insectary No. 6, ’04 (1 ♀, USNM) ; Hidalgo County, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley St. Pk. , 16.31-III.77, C. C. Porter, coll., Malaise trap (1 ♀, USNM) , same except 16-31-III-76 (1 ♂, USNM) , same except 1-15-[?]-76 (1 ♂, USNM) , same except 1-15-IV-77 (13 ♀♀, ♂, FSCA) , same except 16-30-IV-77 (11 ♀♀, ♂, FSCA) , same except 16-31-III-77 (3 ♀♀, ♂, FSCA) , same except 19-III-82 (1 ♀, FSCA) ; Ca. Mission, Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park , 17-III-76 (1 ♀, FSCA) ; McAllen , 2 April ’75, C. Porter (1 ♀, FSCA) ; Hidalgo Co., Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge , collector G. H. Nelson, reared from Pithecellobium flexicaule (Beuth.) , wood coll’d 27.VI-1968, emerged 21.VIII.1969 (1 ♀, FSCA) .

Host: Emerged from Celtis laevigata WILLD. ( WALKLEY 1967) . From label data, bred from Celtis mississippiensis BOSC , C. laevigata (Cannabaceae) and Pithecellobium flexicaule (BENTH.) J. M. COULT. (Fabaceae) .

Remarks:

See remarks under A. leon .

Figures

Figs 42-44: Aulacus dispilis. 42Xead, front. 43Xead, dorsal. 44 Mesosoma, dorsal.