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Aulacus Aroueti
''Aulacus'' is a genus of aulacids, ensigns, and gasteruptiids in the family Aulacidae. There are 77 species of ''Aulacus''. Taxonomy and phylogeny This genus was originally described in 1807 by Louis Jurine. It it currently one of two extant genera within the family Aulacidae along with its sister genus, ''Pristaulacus''. As presently defined, the genus ''Aulacus'' has been noted by Turrisi et al. in 2009 as not representing a monophyletic group, instead being a paraphyletic assemblage of species with respect to ''Pristaulacus''. Their research also concluded the need for further studies to split the genus into several monophyletic genera. Description and identification ''Aulacus'' are generally small auladic wasps. The head lacks an occipital carina, and the tarsal claws are simple. The forewing has vein 2r-m present in contrast to the genus ''Pristaulacus'', which lacks this vein. Distribution The genus ''Aulacus'' has a nearly worldwide distribution apart from the Afr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aulacidae
The Aulacidae are a small, cosmopolitan family of wasps, with two extant genera containing some 200 known species. They are primarily endoparasitoids of wood wasps (Xiphydriidae) and xylophagous beetles (Cerambycidae and Buprestidae). They are closely related to the family Gasteruptiidae, sharing the feature of having the first and second metasomal tergites fused, and having the head on a long pronotal "neck", though they are not nearly as slender and elongate as gasteruptiids, nor are their hind legs club-like, and they have more sculptured thoraces. They share the evanioid trait of having the metasoma attached very high above the hind coxae on the propodeum. While generally rarely collected, they can be locally abundant in areas undergoing logging or forest fires. The rich fossil record of Aulacidae indicates they were quite abundant in the Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |