Chrysis.net Forum

Another from Santa Eulalia de la Pena (Huesca), Spain. Date: 20 June 2019.

Superb!

This one could be Chrysis valesiana Frey-Gessner.
Anyway not a common species at all!

Thanks Paolo! Question: "could be" as in I should keep a cf. in the name?

It's difficult to be 100% sure when you ID specimens online.
Actually I don't see any other option (in Spain only another species is known in this group: Chrysis graelsii), which is usually without this green colour on forebody. However, to be 100% sure it would be better to have the specimen under the microscope ...

Hi,
a pretty specimen and good pics!
All the best
Paul

Euchroeus wrote:It's difficult to be 100% sure when you ID specimens online.
Actually I don't see any other option (in Spain only another species is known in this group: Chrysis graelsii), which is usually without this green colour on forebody. However, to be 100% sure it would be better to have the specimen under the microscope ...

There are no Chrysis perisi (ssp of valesiana) and opaca (ssp of graelsi) in Spain (They are mentioned in Linsenmaier, 1959) ?

I never examined any Spanish perezi, which seems to be limited in N Africa (the forebody is extensively flame red). However it is necessary to examine the face in frontal view to be sure, and here I cannot see the face (... "could be"...)

About C. graelsii opaca, it was synonymized with C. graelsii by Linsenmaier (1999) himself.

Ciao!

Ok, thank you for help : In his Faune de France, Berland & Bernard cited : France (Hérault, Var), Spain, Sicile, N. Africa.

I have a male of graelsii group (like valesiana) of south of France (Aude), cought on wall (with many Eumeninae and some Megachilidae).
I hesitated between graelsii, valesiana and perezi, or if perezi is not present in European country.

Ciao