Aulacus leon Smith 2008, new species

Aulacus leon SMITH, new species

(Figs 30-33)

Diagnosis:

Black, dorsum of mesosoma orange; apex of forewing black. Head shining with scattered fine punctures. Mesoscutum with coarse transverse carinae. Hind coxa short, with cross striations laterally.

Female:

Length, 6.5 mm; forewing length 5.5 mm; ovipositor length, 5.5 mm. Color: Antenna black with scape and pedicel orange. Head and mesonotum orange, rest of mesosoma black; fore- and midleg coxae, trochanters, and femora black, tibiae and tarsi white; hind leg black with basal quarter of tibia and all tarsus white. Metasoma black with white band on second segment. Ovipositor sheath with white band. Wings hyaline, veins and stigma black; forewing with faint black spot under stigma and spot at apex black. Head: Antennal length 2.5X head width. Lower interocular distance subequal to eye height; malar space 0.25X eye height (Fig. 30). From above, head straight behind eyes then roundly narrowing, head behind eyes about 0.7X eye length (Fig. 31). Shining with fine white pubescence; gena and vertex with large punctures, interspaces mostly 2 or more times puncture diameters; frons evenly punctate with flat shining interspaces mostly about equal to puncture diameters (Figs 30, 31). Mesosoma: Propleuron shining, punctate. Mesonotum with rather evenly reticulate sculpture, that on mesoscutum somewhat transverse; notauli meet posteriorly at point of transscutal articulation (Fig. 33). Pronotum coarsely reticulate posteriorly, anteriorly reticulations finer; mesopleuron, metapleuron, and propodeum reticulate, with area of fine punctures on upper central part of mesopleuron (Figs 32, 33). Hind basitarsus 1.2X longer than length of remaining tarsal segments combined. Hind coxa shining above, finely punctate to striate and duller laterally, about 2.0X longer than broad. Metasoma: Segments 2 or 3 to apex with fine white pubescence and fine punctures. Ovipositor length subequal to forewing length.

Male: Unknown.

Types: Holotype: Female, labeled “Chipinque Mesa, 5400’, nr. Monterrey, N.L., Mex., VII.8. 1963, H. & A. Howden ” (CNC). Paratype: Mexico: Tamaulipas, Gomez Farias: 900 m, Alta Cima, T. Malaise, 15-22.V.1999, Col. Sonia Hernandez A. (1 ♀, USNM).

Etymology: The name is from Nueva León, a noun in apposition.

Remarks:

This species and A. dispilis are similar. In A. leon, the ovipositor length is subequal to the forewing length, the ovipositor sheath has a white band, and the propodeum is black. In A. dispilis, the ovipositor length is longer than the forewing length, the ovipositor sheath is black, and the mesosoma is orange with black, if present, confined to the lower portion of the pleura.