Australian Journal of
Taxonomy
Open-access, online, rapid taxonomy
This is a page from an unpublished manuscript
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Aulacus fuscicornis Cameron 1911: 345.—Hedicke 1939: 18; Riek 1970: 903; Smith 2001: 271; Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist]; Turrisi 2017: 932; Jennings et al. 2018: 44.
Aulacus mcmillani Jennings Austin & Stevens, 2004a: 119.—Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist]; Turrisi 2017: 933; Jennings et al. 2018: 62. syn. nov.
Figure 41. Aulacus fuscicornis Cameron, A, holotype female, lateral habitus, Image © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London; B, male, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.
Figure 42. Aulacus fuscicornis Cameron, 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.
Diagnostic description.
Aulacus fuscicornis can be separated from other Australian species based on the combination of the absence of fore wing vein 2rs-m and aerolate-rugose sculpturing on dorsal mesosoma.
Female. Body size (6.0–6.6) mm, ovipositor length (6.8–7.9) mm, fore wing length (5.7–5.8) mm (Fig. 41); colouration, head and mesosoma black, antenna, legs and metasoma orange except for variable amounts of black on coxae and base of T1, ovipositor sheaths dark brown; wings hyaline, hind wing veins spectral (Fig. 42G); head shape quadrate, width (1.6–1.9) × length, postocular space (0.5–0.7) × eye length in dorsal view (Fig. 42C), raised transverse carina above toruli absent, malar space (0.3–0.4) × height of eye (Fig. 42A); length of scape (1.7) × length of pedicel, 1st flagellomere (0.9) × length of scape, (0.9) × 2nd flagellomere; mesosoma length (1.7–1.8) × height, mesoscutum in lateral view rounded antero-dorsally (Fig. 42D); mesoscutum length (0.7–0.8) × width in dorsal view (Fig. 42E); medial lobe aerolate-rugose; ovipositor guide oblique, positioned distally (Fig. 42F); ovipositor sheath length (1.2–1.3) × fore wing length (Fig. 41); 2-Rs+M (1.2–1.4) × 1-Rs+M,three hamuli, equidistant (Fig. 42G); metasoma pyriform,T1+T2 length (1.5-1.9) × width in dorsal view.
Males. Body size (7.0) mm, similar to female
Material examined.
Holotype. AUSTRALIA – NSW • ♀ "Bred from longicorn larvae [Sydney] NSW 11.1.[19]09. (in W.W. Froggatt's handwriting)" "P. Cameron Coll. 1914–110" (NHMUK: 013457846) (examined from photographs).
Other Material examined:
AUSTRALIA – NSW • 1 ♀, 1 larval skin, 1 pupal case, no location, 11.Jan.1909 (ASCU) • 2 ♀♀, Bred from longicorn larvae, NSW, 11.Jan.1909 (ANIC).• 1 ♀, Bred from longicorn larvae, NSW, 11.Jan.1909, C38, C.I.E. Coll. A.10647 (ASCU) • 1 ♀, Bred from longicorn larvae, NSW, 11.Jan.1909, C38, C.I.E., Cotype 38, (ASCU). – Western Australia • 1 ♂, Holotype of Aulacus mcmillani “Kings Park. Emerged 4.1.1958 from larva coll. 2.xi.1957. R.P. McMillan.” (WAM) • 1 ♂, Paratype of Aulacus mcmillani, Kings Park. Emerged 4.Jan.1958 from larva collected 2.Nov.1957. R.P. McMillan leg. (WAM) • 1 ♀, Kings Park. Emerged 4.Jan.1958 from larva collected 2.Nov.1957. R.P. McMillan leg. (WAM); 2 pupae, Kings Park, 17.Nov.1957, R.P. McMillan leg. (WAM).
Figure 41. Aulacus fuscicornis Cameron, A, holotype female, lateral habitus, Image © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London; B, male, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.
Figure 42. Aulacus fuscicornis Cameron, 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.
Distribution
This species is known from Sydney, NSW and from King’s Park in Western Australia (Fig. 89).
Biology.
This species has been recorded from larva of an unknown longicorn beetle (Cerambycidae).
Notes.
One female with same collection data as holotype has label bearing “Cotype 38, [illegible], A. fuscicornis”, the original description by Cameron (1911) does not state if this specimen is part of the type series so it has been included as other material examined. Aulacus mcmillani was originally described by Jennings et al. (2004a) based on a male holotype, with the type series including a female pupa. Through thorough examination and comparison with A. fuscicornis material, we have confirmed that the female pupa matches the description and holotype images of A. fuscicornis, notably evidenced by the absence of fore wing vein 2r-m and the presence of aerolate-rugulose sculpturing on the dorsal mesosoma. Therefore, we synonymise A. mcmillani with A. fuscicornis.