Australian Journal of
Taxonomy
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Aulacus elongaticeps Parslow & Hill sp. nov.
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Figure 29. Aulacus elongaticeps sp. nov., holotype female, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Figure 30. Aulacus elongaticeps sp. nov., holotype female, A, lateral head; B, frontal face; C, dorsal head; D, lateral mesosoma; E, dorsal mesosoma; F, ovipositor guide; G, wings. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Diagnosis.

Aulacus elongaticeps can be separated from other described Australian species based on the combination of the distinctive elongated head shape in lateral view (Fig. 30A), metasoma featuring a cream-colored patch on the dorsal margin of T1 (Fig. 29) and length of fore wing vein 2-Rs+M 0.9 × length of 1-Rs+M.

Description.
Female. Body size 11.6 mm, ovipositor length 6.8 mm, fore wing length 4.0 mm (Fig. 29).

Colouration. General body colour black; mandibles brown with dark brown teeth; fore and mid legs orange with dark brown coxae, hind leg dark brown with most of the tarsus cream-coloured, base of 1st tarsomere, 5th tarsomere and claw dark brown; metasoma dark brown with cream coloured patch on dorsal marginal of T1; ovipositor sheath dark brown, large sub-apical cream-coloured band; wings hyaline, with brown obfuscation of apex of 1st marginal and 4th submarginal cell, pterostigma dark brown, veins dark brown (Fig. 30G), hind wing veins spectral.

Head. head shape quadrate in dorsal view; width 1.1 × length, postocular space 0.8 × eye length in dorsal view (Fig. 30C); elongated in lateral view (Fig. 30A); malar space 0.1 × height of eye (Fig. 30A); face reticulate; frons reticulate; vertex punctate-reticulate, becoming reticulate-rugulose posteriorly; gena reticulate-rugulose; occipital carina present laterally becoming absent medially; clypeus margin sinuate, medial process present (Fig. 30B); distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 0.8 × distance between lateral ocelli (Fig. 30C); scape 1.6 × length pedicel; first flagellomere 0.9 × as long as scape; 0.5 × length second flagellomere

Mesosoma. Mesosoma length 1.7 × height; propleuron reticulate, ventro-lateral carina present; pronotum angular process absent, anterior lobe reticulate, dorsal and posterior lobe reticulate-rugose; pronotal sulcus carinate; mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally (Fig. 30D), mesoscutum length 0.9 × width in dorsal view (Fig. 30E); mesoscutum reticulate-rugose, notauli carinate, admedial lines present; mesoscutellum reticulate-rugose; axillae and axillula reticulate-rugose; metapostnotum broad, carinate, posterior margin sinuate; mesepisternum areolate-rugose, reticulate-rugulose dorsally; mesepimeron carinate with reticulate patch dorsally; metapleuron areolate-rugose, reticulate-rugulose dorsally; propodeum areolate-rugose, posterior face coarser, posterior margin rugulose;

Legs. metacoxa reticulate, strigate dorsally; ovipositor guide oblique positioned medially (Fig. 30F); metafemur 0.7 × metatibia, 1st tarsomere 2.1 × length of 2nd tarsomere; 2nd tarsomere 1.6 × length of 3rd tarsomere; 3rd tarsomere 2.1 × length of 4th tarsomere; 4th tarsomere 0.7 × length of 5th tarsomere; tarsal claw 0.4 × length of 5th tarsomere

Wings. Fore wing vein 2r-m spectral medially; vein 3r-m spectral medially; 2-Rs+M 0.9 × 1-Rs+M; three hamuli, equidistant (Fig. 30G), hind wing veins spectral.

Metasoma. Shape in lateral view clavate; T1+T2 length 6.6 × width in dorsal view; T1 smooth, scattered indistinct punctures, T2 smooth, T3 to metasoma tip imbricate; ovipositor sheath length 0.9 × fore wing length (Fig. 29).

Material examined.

Holotype. AUSTRALIA – Queensland • ♀ “Brisbane, Nov-Dec 1971, J. Sedlacek” (AEI). Note: This specimen was originally considered a paratype of Aulacus doddi Jennings & Austin. See Figs 17A, B in Jennings, Parslow & Austin 2018.

Figure 29. Aulacus elongaticeps sp. nov., holotype female, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Figure 30. Aulacus elongaticeps sp. nov., holotype female, A, lateral head; B, frontal face; C, dorsal head; D, lateral mesosoma; E, dorsal mesosoma; F, ovipositor guide; G, wings. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

Etymology.

The species epithet elongaticeps is a combination from the Latin words elongatus meaning elongated and ceps, the shortened form of caput, meaning head, and describes the distinctive elongated head shape in lateral view.

Distribution.

This species is known from the type locality, Brisbane, Queensland (Fig. 90).

Biology.

Unknown.

Notes.

The female paratype of A. doddi from Brisbane, Queensland which was depicted in Figs 17A, B in Jennings et al. (2018) shows significant variation in colouration and head shape compared with the specimens of A. doddi from Kuranda, Queensland. Upon further examination we determined this specimen is not conspecific and we hereby describe it as a new species, A. elongaticeps sp. nov.