Aulacus heredia Smith 2008, new species

Aulacus heredia SMITH, new species

(Figs 22-25)

Diagnosis:

Head and mesosoma orange, propleuron black; head shining without sculpture; tarsi white.

Female: Unknown.

Male:

Length, 6.0 mm; forewing length 5.0 mm. Color: Head and mesosoma orange with blackish spot behind ocelli; propleuron, coxae, hind legs except white hind tarsus; and metasomal tergites blackish. Forewing hyaline with apical margin black; stigma and veins dark orange to brown. Head: Antennal length 3.3X head width. Lower interocular distance subequal to eye height; malar space about 0.3X eye height (Fig. 22). From above head long and gradually narrowing behind eyes, head behind eyes subequal to eye length (Fig. 23). Vertex and frons shining, without sculpture (Figs 22, 23). Mesosoma: Propleuron smooth, shining. Mesoscutum reticulate with wavy transversely directed sculpture; notauli meeting separately on transscutal articulation (Fig. 25); axilla and mesoscutellum reticulate. Pronotum smooth shining except several arced carinae at center; mesopleuron with mesepisternum smooth and shining above, very coarse reticulations at center, mesosternum finely reticulate, mesepimeron with widely spaced cross carinae; metapleuron smooth and shining above, below with large, coarse reticulations; propodeum coarsely reticulate (Figs 24, 25). Hind coxa smooth and shining, 2.1X longer than broad. Hind basitarsus 1.1X length of remaining tarsal segments combined. Metasoma: Smooth, shining, without pubescence.

Holotype: Male, “ Costa Rica, Prov. Heredia, 11 km ESE La Lirgen, 10 21'N, 84 03'W, 250-350 m, 3/M/16/096, 18.iv.2004, INBio-OET-transect” (USNM).

Etymology: Named for Heredia, the province in Costa Rica where this species was collected; a noun in apposition.

Remarks:

This is a small, orange, smooth and shining species and is therefore not likely to be the male of one of the described females in this family.