Aulacus elegans (Kieffer, 1911)

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Micraulacinus elegans Kieffer 1911: 219.—Kieffer 1912: 348; Hedicke 1939: 24.

Aulacus elegans (Kieffer)—Crosskey 1953: 765, 766; Smith 2001: 270, comb. nov.; Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist]; Turrisi 2017: 932; Jennings et al. 2018: 37.

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Figure 27. Aulacus elegans (Kieffer), A, female, lateral habitus; B, male, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Figure 28. Aulacus elegans (Kieffer), female, A, lateral head; B, frontal face; C, dorsal head; D, lateral mesosoma; E, dorsal mesosoma; F, ovipositor guide; G, fore wing. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Diagnostic description.

Aulacus elegans is a distinctive species that can be separated from other Australian species based on the combination of small body size, 5.1–7.0, distinctive orange and black colouration, mesoscutum in lateral view truncated antero-dorsally, sculpturing of posterior vertex and gena smooth with scattered punctures.

Female. Body size (5.1–7.0) mm, ovipositor length (3.5–5.0) mm, fore wing length (0.7–0.8) mm (Fig. 27A); colouration mesosoma black, head, antennae and metasoma orange except for flagellomere eight to tip and base of metasomal T1 black, ovipositor sheath dark brown; wings hyaline except for distinct infuscation at apex 1st marginal and 4th submarginal cell (Fig. 28G), hind wing veins spectral; head shape quadrate, width (1.4) × length, postocular space (0.4) × eye length in dorsal view (Fig. 28C), raised transverse carina above toruli absent, malar space (0.3–0.4) × height of eye (Fig. 28A); length of scape (1.4) × length of pedicel, 1st flagellomere (1.1–1.3) × length of scape, (0.6–0.7) × 2nd flagellomere; mesosoma length (1.7–1.8) × height, mesoscutum in lateral view truncated antero-dorsally (Fig. 28D); mesoscutum length (0.9) × width in dorsal view (Fig. 28E); medial lobe coarse transverse carinae; ovipositor guide transverse, positioned distally (Fig. 28F); ovipositor sheath length (0.7–0.8) × fore wing length (Fig. 27A); 2-Rs+M (1.7–2.0) × 1-Rs+M, three hamuli, equidistant (Fig. 28G); metasoma pyriform,T1+T2 length 1.4–1.8 × width in dorsal view.

Males. Body size (10.0–11.3) mm, similar to females except flagellomere two to tip and variable amounts of metasomal T4 to tip black (Fig. 27B).

Aulacus elegans is superficially similar to A. minutus but they can be separated by the shape of the mesoscutum in lateral view truncated antero-dorsally (rounded in A. minutus), and the posterior vertex and gena sculpturing smooth with scattered punctures (reticulate-rugulose in A. minutus).

Material examined.

Holotype. AUSTRALIA • ♀, "Australia". (NHMUK: 013457856). Right antenna and left flagellomeres 7-12, left wings missing (examined from photographs).

Other material examined.

AUSTRALIA – NSW • 1 ♂, Harrington, 17.Dec.1986, G. Williams leg. (AMS) • 1 ♀, 1 ♂, Budgewoi, 27.Dec.1986, R. De Keyser leg. (AMS) • 1 ♀, 1 ♂, Blue Mountains, Mount Tomah, 3.Nov.1995, N.W. Rodd leg., N.W. Rodd Collection, (AM: K245325, K245326) • 1 ♀, Wollongong , -34.427812, 150.893061, 6.Mar.2017, J. Bartram, iNaturalist observation 26167232 • 1 ♀, Wollongong , -34.427812, 150.893061, 28.Feb.2020, J. Bartram, iNaturalist observation 39308280. – Victoria • 2 ♀, Mt. Dandenong, no collector or date (AEI). – QLD • 1 ♀, The Pinnacles, Mt. Walsh National Park, 11.May.1976, H. Frauca leg. (ANIC) (determined as Aulacus minutus in Jennings et al. 2018) • 1 ♀, Bundaberg, 14.Jan.1948, R. Moller leg. (QM) (determined as Aulacus minutus in Jennings et al. 2018). – Norfolk Island • 1 ♀, Norfolk Island National Park, -29.019914, 167.9424, 22.Feb.2024, J. Tweed, iNaturalist observation 200373258.

Figure 27. Aulacus elegans (Kieffer), A, female, lateral habitus; B, male, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Figure 28. Aulacus elegans (Kieffer), female, A, lateral head; B, frontal face; C, dorsal head; D, lateral mesosoma; E, dorsal mesosoma; F, ovipositor guide; G, fore wing. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Distribution.

This species is known from several localities ranging from southern Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Norfolk Island (Fig. 90).

Biology.

Unknown.

Notes.

The holotype specimen of A. elegans has several labels bearing an unpublished manuscript name A. minimus Kieffer. The two specimens of A. minutus from Queensland, examined in Jennings et al. (2018) and depicted in Fig. 33, were misidentified; upon re-examination, they have been correctly identified as A. elegans. The specimen from Norfolk Island collected by James Tweed (University of Queensland) is the first record of the genus from this external territory.