Aulacus flavicornis (Kieffer, 1911)

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Aulacinus flavicornis Kieffer 1911: 220, 222.—Kieffer 1912: 349, 357; Hedicke 1939: 25.

Aulacus flavicornis (Kieffer)—Smith 2001: 271. comb. nov.; Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist]; Turrisi 2017: 932; Jennings et al. 2018: 41.

Aulacus brabyi Jennings & Austin 2018: 26.—ABRS 2019 [on-line checklist]. syn. nov.

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Figure 33. Aulacus flavicornis (Kieffer), female, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Figure 34. Aulacus flavicornis (Kieffer), female, A, lateral head; B, frontal face; C, dorsal head; D, lateral mesosoma; E, dorsal mesosoma; F, inner metacoxa; G, fore wing. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Diagnostic description.

Aulacus flavicornis is one of several species with distinctive general black body colouration with orange on the antenna and head with prominent raised transverse carina above toruli.

Female. Body size 9.0 (5.8–7.3) mm, ovipositor length 3.5 (2.0–3.4) mm, fore wing length (4.9–6.0) mm (Fig. 33); colouration black, except flagellomeres 4–8 and most of tarsus orange, ovipositor sheath dark brown; wings hyaline (Fig. 34G), hind wing veins spectral; head shape quadrate, width 1.1 (1.1–1.2) × length, postocular space (0.8–1.0) × eye length in dorsal view (Fig. 34C), raised transverse carina above toruli, malar space 0.2 (0.2) × height of eye (Fig. 34A); length of scape (1.9–2.2) × length of pedicel, 1st flagellomere (0.9–1.4) × length of scape, (0.5–0.9) × 2nd flagellomere; mesosoma length (1.5–1.6) × height, mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally (Fig. 34D); mesoscutum length (0.8) × width in dorsal view (Fig. 34E); medial lobe of mesoscutum with transverse carinae; ovipositor guide absent (Fig. 34F); ovipositor sheath length (0.4) × fore wing length (Fig. 33); 2-Rs+M (0.6–0.8) × 1-Rs+M,, three hamuli, equidistant (Fig. 34G); metasoma pyriform, T1+T2 length (1.4–1.6) × width in dorsal view.

Aulacus flavicornis is superficially similar to A. moerens in general appearance but can be separated by the extent of orange colouration on the flagellomeres and tibia (tibia orange in A. moerens), and body size smaller, 5.8-9.0 mm (9.2–10.5 mm for A. moerens).

Material examined.

Holotype. AUSTRALIA – Victoria • ♀ "9.Feb.[19]07, Victoria" "Australia. R. E. Turner 1907–244" (NHMUK: 011509575). Left pedicel to tip, right antenna, right fore leg, left hind tarsus and ovipositor sheaths missing (examined from photographs).

Other material examined.

AUSTRALIA – Victoria • 1 ♀, Holotype of Aulacus brabyi, "Gippsland [Victoria], xii.1915, no collector (NMV) • 1 ♀, Mount Buller Alpine Resort, -37.14764, 146.456218, 6.Mar.2023, K. Bennetts, iNaturalist observation 150463860 • 1 ♀, Paratype of Aulacus brabyi, Olinda village, 16.Dec.1905, F.S. leg. (NMV) • 1 ♀, Paratype of Aulacus brabyi, Inglewood, 2.Jan.1916, Nixon leg. (NMV) • 1 ♀, Paratype of Aulacus brabyi, Worri Yallock, 23.Nov.1930, A.N. Burns leg. (NMV).

Figure 33. Aulacus flavicornis (Kieffer), female, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Figure 34. Aulacus flavicornis (Kieffer), female, A, lateral head; B, frontal face; C, dorsal head; D, lateral mesosoma; E, dorsal mesosoma; F, inner metacoxa; G, fore wing. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Distribution.

This species is known from several locations across Victoria (Fig. 92).

Biology.

Unknown.

Notes.

As there is only very slight variation in colouration and body size between the type specimens of A. flavicornis (Kieffer) and A. brabyi Jennings & Austin, we hereby synonymise A. brabyi with A. flavicornis.