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Chrysis consanguinea ?

PostPosted: 06 Jul 2021 21:52
by Thibaultlp
Another specimen from Saint-André-les-Alpes (south-east of France).
Only one femelle caugth last week on a sandy floor near to tubes of solitary Vespidae. I think it could be Chrysis consanguinea for the very elongated shape and the golden spots between the eyes, but I don't have experience in the viridula group, except for viridula itself.

Re: Chrysis consanguinea ?

PostPosted: 06 Jul 2021 23:50
by Euchroeus
Hi

how large is this specimen?
It looks like a large one.
This could be vareana Linsenmaier

Ciao

Re: Chrysis consanguinea ?

PostPosted: 07 Jul 2021 00:39
by Thibaultlp
Hi Paolo,

It's a quite small one comparated to my viridula specimens, only 7mm long.

How can you differenciate vareana from consanguinea ?

Re: Chrysis consanguinea ?

PostPosted: 08 Jul 2021 10:07
by Euchroeus
Hi Thibault,

well, the first evaluation is on the cuckoo wasp size.
Chrysis vareana is really large, similarly to C. integra (or a bit smaller), however it's more bulky (less slender) that the latter. It really looks like a giant C.viridula.
Then colour pattern: the female frons (seen in dorsal view) is largely golden-red (in C. consanguinea there are two small golden spots at sides of anterior ocellus, as in your specimen).
Punctation is closer, setae are shorter and the third tergum has more pointed lateral angles, pits of the pit row are usually larger. Male can be recognized by size and shape of genitalia.
Once you have it under the microscope you can see the difference ;-)

Cheers

Re: Chrysis consanguinea ?

PostPosted: 08 Jul 2021 14:53
by Thibaultlp
Thanks Paolo !

I guess I will stay at Chrysis cf consanguinea for this specimen, until I found other species of the viridula group.

I also caught a small male in late may, maybe it will be easier to determinate.