Pentachrysis amoena (Eversmann) - Ukraine

[Kate Martynova]

Hello, colleagues
I have seen one specimen of this species in collection of Kharkiv Museum of Nature.
Label – Ukraine, Donetsk region (= oblast), reserve “Kamennye Mohyly” (Eastern Ukraine).
As I can see, it belongs to amoena-group (subgenus Pentachrysis).
Is it a seminigra Walker, 1871 or amoena Evers., 1857?
The amoena must have the blue anal rand, and seminigra must have only the narrow blue “Basis-linie der Tergites 2 und 3” (from Linsenmaier, 1959). In seminigra individuals with golden thorax and head happen – as it is in specimen under investigation.
I would rather say that it is the seminigra, because it has a one-colour abdomen in my opinion (after Linsenmaier's key).
What can You say?

Best regards,
Kate Martynova

[Euchroeus]

Hi Kate.

it's a wonderful specimen.

Species from the Pentachrysis genus (or subgenus, doesn't matter) are always extremely rare.
As far as I can see your specimen is a male. Males of amoena and zharptitza are always more greenish and less coloured than females.
in this sense, the anal margin of amoena is blue only in females, but green in males; however not in contrast with the rest of the T-III

Based on my experience I can say that all the studied specimens of C. seminigra (ssp. seminigra, ssp. occidentica and ssp. saudiarabica: http://www.gbif.ch/), arrogans and goliath always have entirely red metallic abdomen, without blue marks or blue drawings.

I would ID your specimen as amoena Eversmann. I attach the picture of the female type housed in Krakow.
Cheers
Paolo