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Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, Netherlands

PostPosted: 26 Jun 2011 21:35
by pietsje
Today 26/6, The Netherlands, southern part. A rather large wasp, about 5-6mm, beautiful colours. It looks like a Chrysis but different. Unfortunately pics very bad... :doh:
Is an id possible or is this the wrong forum?

Re: chrysis or chalcid, Netherlands?

PostPosted: 29 Jun 2011 12:02
by Gian Luca Agnoli
Hello Pietsje, this is the right forum :ok:

Your beautiful specimen belongs to the Chrysidid genus Cleptes Latreille, 1802. The species seems to be a female of Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806.

You could try to take some more photos, it would be nice to have good shots of such a beautiful creature.

8-)
Gian Luca

Re: chrysis or chalcid, Netherlands?

PostPosted: 29 Jun 2011 18:30
by pepik
Hello Pietsje and Luca,
I'm still in the wild pallipes seen,also home on the window yesterday I had three pieces (female),today, two pieces
(female),had a few pieces of female and male.I have at home something attractive ?or want to let everyone shoot?
Pepik

Re: chrysis or chalcid, Netherlands?

PostPosted: 01 Jul 2011 00:42
by Gian Luca Agnoli
Hi Pepik,
it seems that Cleptes like your home for some reasons. Perhaps it is its blooming. Great discovery! :ok:
Gian

Re: Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, Netherlands

PostPosted: 01 Jul 2011 21:22
by pietsje
Gian, Pepik,
Thanks for your reactions. This species, although more common than you think in The Netherlands is seldom fotographed, so it seems. Unfortunately my pics are bad. I can do better, so, more luck next time. I went to the same location but what are the odds that you see it again.

I'm a bit jealous Pepik, maybe next time in my garden or on the windowsill, who knows.I saw your pictures of this beautiful species and of Gasteruption freyi, I have contact with Kees van Achterberg. Wow 8-) , you make better pictures than me, obviously :slurp: . I like Gasteruption species so that's why.
I have some special inects in my garden. I like flowers (just like you), so maybe they act as magnets.
I have also a lot of Symphyta spec. and solitary wasps and bees in my garden. Now I wait.......for Cleptes and G. freyi ;)
Kind regards,
Pietsje

Re: Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, Netherlands

PostPosted: 02 Jul 2011 00:48
by pietsje
There was a reaction on the Dutch bee and wasp forum of Theo Peeters, a real 'bee and waspman'. I let them know what the reaction was on this forum, the spies has to be ad to www.waarneming.nl
He is been busy with the Dutch wasp and bee atlas. His question was, is C. pallipes not the same species as P. semiauratus and if not what are the differences for id. They put C. pallipes in the atlas with a ? because they think it is the same as C. semiauratus. Does anyone know the answer to that?

Re: Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, Netherlands

PostPosted: 02 Jul 2011 17:44
by Euchroeus
Dear Pietsje,

of course I know Peeters by name, but I don't know him personally.
If you want, you can give to Theo my e-mail: rosa@chrysis.net

At the end of the 90's and the beginning of the 2000 Laslo Móczár wrote a detailed revision of the Genus Cleptes. I agree with him, because I examined almost all the European types as well. I also found some mistakes that I'm going to publish on the type material (i.e. on the Lectotype of pallipes selected by Morgan).
In the following paper:
Móczár L., 2001 - World revision of the Cleptes semiauratus group (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae, Cleptinae). Linzer biologische Beitrage: 33 (1): 905-931
Móczár gave a detailed description of the two species, with valid keys. He also explained how Linsenmaier exchanged and confused the names of all the most common European species.
If you give me your e-mail address I sent it to you in pdf format.

Cheers
Paolo

Re: Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, Netherlands

PostPosted: 02 Jul 2011 21:26
by Euchroeus
Dear Pietsje,

some more details.

Females of C. pallipes and C. semiauratus are quite easy to ID.
Here some character according to Móczár (2001):

- coxae, trochanters, femora and tibiae dark brown or brownish black, excepting yellowish brown fore tibiae, especially on lower face. Outer side of fore femora with a coppery highlight or golden tint. Scape dark brown with reddish coppery tint at upper side. Pedicel, flagellomeres brown, except pale brown Ped apically, and F-I-(II). Head, including face, usually pronotum, mesonotum extensively flame red, or often partly green; scutellum, postscutellum golden red or golden green. Propodeum, excepting the black oblique grooves, mesopleuron, extensively bluish green or greenish blue, and golden along ventral margin and in front. Mesopleuron finely striate, at most rugose partly. T-IV dark brown, without or rarely with pale blue reflection or tint ....... C. semiauratus (L.)

- Legs, scape, pedicel, F-I-II-III entirely yellowish orange or pale yellowish brown. Face coppery red with two large black spots. Vertex, pronotum, mesonotum, scutellum and postscutellum reddish coppery with more or less golden and partly greenish reflections. Mesopleuron greenish and red, partly golden in front along the ventral margin. Surface finely strigose, sometimes with more elongate shallow and 1-2 larger abd deeper foveae mostly along ventral margin. Propodeum usually dark bluish green. T-IV usually greenish blue ............... C. pallipes Lepeletier


Males sometimes are not so easy to ID, however, if you have any doubt, just dissect the specimen and check the genital capsulae, which are very different. I attach 2 pictures from my book (I crisidi della Valle d'Aosta):

- Fore tibiae yellowish brown or more brownish on upper side, middle and especially hind tibiae dark brown, usually with a metallic tint. T-IV-V balck, without violet reflection, T-V often with some bluish tint or extensively blue. Mesopleuron with an oblique parallel ridging, partly striate and strigose with 1-2 foveae along the ventral margin in front. Process of fore coxae bright, like a tooth (see genitalia) ...... C. semiauratus (L.)

- All tibiae usually yellowish brown, middle and hind tibiae pale brown or exceptionally with a pale greenish bronze tint. Mostly T-IV with more or less violet reflection or tint in the majority of specimens. T-IV black usually medially, greenish blue laterally, T-V greenish blue extensively or only medially; rarely T-IV-V extensiv greenish blue or T-IV rarely black, only T-V blue. Mesopleuron strigose with more elongate or more or less round and shallow foveae on its lower surface or along the ventral margin. Process of fore coxae less shining, not like a tooth (See genitalia) ........... C. pallipes Lepeletier

Re: Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, Netherlands

PostPosted: 02 Jul 2011 22:35
by pietsje
Paolo,
Wow, thanks for the information :ok: . I shall give Theo your e-mail so you can connect.
Now I'm going to study your information quitely, because it is something that asks a lot of concentration from me as it is not a dayly job for me.

Kind regards,
Pietsje

Re: Cleptes pallipes Lepeletier, 1806, Netherlands

PostPosted: 07 Jul 2011 12:38
by Villu
Hi!

Separating these two species is clear but I am not convinced if we have right names for them.

Looking at the type of C. semiauratus it looks like C. pallipes to me. Check it out here:
http://www.linnean-online.org/16482/

All tibiae are yellowish brown! One could say that they turned lighter during the time but it is even mentioned in the original description: "Tibiae ferruginae". Only thing that refers to the current interpretation of C. semiauratus is that the last segments of abdomen are black (also mentioned in original description) but the extent of greenish-blue metallic sheen at the end of abdomen is known to be variable. Sometimes it can look quite black and only if the light is from the right angle you can see its reflection. Unfortunately there are only side views of the Linnean lectotype available, where this metallic sheen is usually less developed but I would say there is some bluish sheen visible and even more metallic is seen at the paralectotype. Dissecting Linnaeus's type would help...

Moreover, all North European specimens I have seen belong to the C. pallipes according to Móczár (males checked with genitalia) and also there are no North European records of C. semiauratus on the map published by Móczár in 2001. The type locality of semiauratus according to Linneaus is "Scania" (should be in southern Sweden), after all it was described in "Fauna Suecica". Could have C. semiauratus really been distributed further north back then and extinct here now? For Central Europeans like Móczár and Linsenmaier it may really look like the distribution area of these two is overlapping but I can not agree with that.

Possibly lectotype of C. semiauratus, which Kimsey and Bohart (1991) designated is really C. semiauratus sensu Móczár but how did Linneaus's material ended up in Paris or they did not know how to designate a lectotype?

So could it be that C. pallipes is junior synonym of C. semiauratus while the name for C. semiauratus sensu Móczár must be searched for?

By the way the Móczár 2001 revision of the C. semiauratus group can be downloaded here:
http://www.landesmuseum.at/pdf_frei_rem ... 5-0931.pdf

What is your comment, Paolo?

With best wishes,
Villu Soon