Australian Journal of
Taxonomy
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Aulacus flindersbaudini Jennings, Austin & Stevens, 2004: 18.—Jennings 2010 [on-line checklist]; Turrisi 2017: 932; Jennings et al. 2018: 43.
Aulacus mareebaensis Jennings & Austin 2018: 60.—ABRS 2019 [on-line checklist].
Aulacus nebo Jennings & Austin 2018: 66.—ABRS 2019 [on-line checklist]. syn. nov.
Figure 37. Aulacus flindersbaudini Jennings, Austin & Stevens: A, female, lateral habitus; B, male, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.
Figure 38. Aulacus flindersbaudini Jennings, Austin & Stevens, holotype 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 flindersbaudini can be separated from other Australian species based on the combination of general body colouration light brown, antenna with cream section (flagellomeres 8–8/10), mesoscutum in lateral view truncated antero-dorsally, medial lobe with coarse transverse carinae, ovipositor guide oblique, positioned distally.
Female. Body size (7.0–8.8) mm, ovipositor length (5.7–5.9) mm, fore wing length (6.8–7.9) mm (Fig. 37A); colouration light brown, except head, mesoscutum and metasoma darker dorsally, base of metasomal T1 dark brown, antennal flagellomeres 6–12 cream-coloured, ovipositor sheath dark brown; wings hyaline except for distinct infuscation at apex 1st marginal and 4th submarginal cell (Fig. 38G), hind wing veins spectral; head shape quadrate, width (1.4-1.6) × length, postocular space (0.3-0.4) × eye length in dorsal view (Fig. 38C), raised transverse carina above toruli absent, malar space (0.3) × height of eye (Fig. 38A); length of scape (1.6–1.7) × length of pedicel, 1st flagellomere (1.2) × length of scape, (0.5–0.6) × 2nd flagellomere; mesosoma length (1.7–1.8) × height, mesoscutum in lateral view angular antero-dorsally (Fig. 38D); mesoscutum length (0.8) × width in dorsal view (Fig. 38E); medial lobe coarse transverse carinae; ovipositor guide oblique, positioned distally (Fig. 38F); ovipositor sheath length (0.7–0.9) × fore wing length (Fig. 37A); 2-Rs+M (1.4–1.5) × 1-Rs+M, three hamuli, equidistant (Fig. 38G); metasoma pyriform, T1+T2 length 1.6–2.1 × width in dorsal view.
Variation. There is variation in the extent of darkness of the body colouration dorsally and the number of antennal flagellomeres which are cream-coloured ranging from 4 to 7 total. The holotype of A. mareebaensis has a cream band subapically on the ovipositor sheath.
Males. Body size (7.4–9.3) mm, similar to females except flagellomeres black, and with some specimens with dark brown colouration on the dorsal surface of head, mesosoma and metasoma (Fig. 37B).
Material examined.
Holotype. AUSTRALIA – South Australia • ♂, “West Bay, Flinders Chase Nat. Park, Kangaroo Is. S.A., i. 1986, A.D. Austin” (SAMA). Flagellomeres 2-11, right hind tarsal segments 4-5, and claw missing.
Other material examined
AUSTRALIA – South Australia • 1 ♀ Kangaroo Island, Vivonne Bay ‘Melaleuca Cottage’, 35°58.691S, 137°10.875E, 1.Apr.2008, D.A. Young leg. (CRG: 8551) – Queensland • 1 ♀, Holotype of Aulacus nebo, "Mt. Nebo, Qld. 500m. Australia. March 20." (ANIC) • 1 ♀, Bunya Mountains, 10.Dec.1925, H. Hacker leg. (QM) • 1 ♀, Holotype of Aulacus mareebaensis, “ex Malaise Trap, 16km Davies Ck Rd, Mareeba NEQ, 6Nov–2Dec 1984, Storey & Halfpapp” (ASCU) • 1 ♀ Lamington National Park, IBISCA 700A, 28.188°S, 153.121°E, 3-19.Feb.2009, Malaise trap, R.F.Turco leg. (QM) • 1 ♂ Eungella National Park, 80 km NW Mackay, 16-19.Oct.1979 (QM). – NSW • 2 ♂♂, Boonanghi State Forest, the Blowhole, 12–17.Nov.1993, G. & B. Williams leg., ex dry rainforest, emerged from dead Backhousia myrtifolia branch.
Figure 37. Aulacus flindersbaudini Jennings, Austin & Stevens: A, female, lateral habitus; B, male, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.
Figure 38. Aulacus flindersbaudini Jennings, Austin & Stevens, holotype 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 has a broad distribution collected from several localities across eastern Australia and Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Fig. 92).
Biology.
Host information unknown. Two males from NSW reared from dead Backhousia myrtifolia branch and, interestingly, one specimen from South Australia was collected at mercury halide light.
Notes.
Aulacus flindersbaudini was originally described from a single male specimen and has been recently associated with a female specimen collected ~60 km away at Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. This female specimen and the type material of A. mareebaensis and A. nebo exhibit only slight variations in coloration and body size. As these differences constitute the distinguishing features between the three species, we synonymise the three names. As the holotype specimen for A. flindersbaudini is a male the diagnostic description of this species is based on non-type material.