Chrysis.net Forum

I thought I would ask for confirmation, or atleast more information about how to separate Hedychridium chloropygum from H. roseum.
I have never collected or seen this species before, but I'm quite sure this is a male Hedychridium chloropygum, from the colouration (the head and mesosoma is more vividly coloured in reality then on the pictures), puncturation of T2 and the fact that I collected it on the same spot as the host, Astata minor, both rare (or atleast uncommon) species in Sweden.

2012.VII.23
Revinge Hed, Scania, Sweden
N55.6904, E13.4969 (WSG84)
Sandy grassland, with some Pinus and Querqus

Hi Alex!

your male belongs to the central-northern European taxon called caputaureum Trautmann & Trautmann.

This taxon was considered as a varietas and later subspecies of H. roseum (Rossi). In the last years it was elevated to species rank by some German authors, but recently Arens consieder caputaureum as a subspecies of H. chloropygum du Buysson. Do you have Arens' paper? did you collect other specimens?

Cheers
Paolo

Great to have you back on the forums Paolo, hope you had a nice trip! C:

I did collect some females from the same location I believe, I have yet to mount this summers catch - but I can have a look at the material and see if I can find any more from the roseum group.
I dont have the paper you talk about, does it expain the group thoroughly? I have only read some loose explanations of how to separate the species, except Linsenmaier '97. The dependency on colour of T3 in Die Goldwespen der Schweiz seems rather uncertain to me.

/Alex

Hi Alex,

I search for the article and I'll send it to you in pdf format.
However there shuold be only a short discussion on this taxon.
The typical chloropygum from SW Europe is always easy recognizible for his colour on T-III. That's why Linsenmaier listed only this character.

I'll search for the paper.
Cheers
Paolo