Chrysis cf chrysostigma ?

[Thibaultlp]

Hello,
I am new on this forum. Living in Brittany (France), Chrysidids are very interesting to me and I'm trying to collect and determinate the specimens that I catch in my walks and travels.

I caught this one 4 days ago in the southern Alps in France (Saint-André-les-Alpes, 04170), two females : one on a sandy floor, near to tubes of solitary Vespidae and the other one flying around a dead trunk.
At first i tought it was Chrysis chrysostigma, that I never found, but the two red spots on the third tergite are joining. So i don't know if it can be a variation of C.chrysostigma or if it's another species that I don't know.

I join pictures of the specimen, third tergite and sternites.

Sorry if I made mistakes in my writings, my english is not perfect.

[Euchroeus]

Thibault!

....



This is a very rare species in France ... it's the female of Chrysis ramburi Dahlbom, 1854.
As far as I remember there was a previous record for Digne, not far away from the place where you collected these females.

This species is relatively common in Spain, but in France it's apparently rare and for unknown reasons (probably related to the distribution of its host) it was never found in Liguria. In fact, many species distributed from S Spain to S France also arrive in Liguria, from Chrysis cortii to Chrysis semicincta, but not this jewel.

[Thibaultlp]

Thanks Paolo !
I tought it can be Chrysis ramburi but all the pictures i found on the net show specimens with green thorax and red spots on the third tergite clearly separated, is this a sexual dimorphism and in this case the specimen that i saw are males ?
That's an awesome species, south-east of France is not well prospected, I believe the species could be more spreaded than we think.
I collected a lot of species on this very good place (at least 13 in only one afternoon !), I will post later some others that are maybe intersting.

[Euchroeus]

Hi Thibault,

yes, this is a case of evident chromatic sexual dimorphism.
The male has the thorax entirely green to blue.

You can post all the pictures that you want, you're


Paolo