Chrysis.net Forum

Late June 2022, N Apennines (PC), Italy. Between about 09.30 and 11.30 on bright sunny days chrysidids sometimes land on our garden umbrella when it is not opened. They either fly almost immediately or run a few centimetres upwards and then fly. By far the most frequent is a small wasp with mainly greenish head and thorax but with the two lateral parts of the mesonotum red-orange. Another, seen less frequently, was a little larger and the green areas were mainly blue. In the larger one T3 is dark, slightly greenish or blueish, and shows four teeth, two close together centrally and one each side. The smaller wasp seems to have much less prominent teeth. Are these two perhaps male and female of the same species? Just looking at photos there seem resemblances to Chrysis bicolor and C. grohmanni, but perhaps the T3 teeth suggest grohmanni? Expert advice appreciated!
(PS: the fabric in the photos is actually very fine weave)

Hi Brian,

yes, you're right, these are male (the first, more green) and female of the same species
It's Chrysis grohmanni krkiana and I believe that this taxon deserve the status of full, valid species. However, I'm waiting for molecular data to prove it.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures of this species

Hi Paolo, Thank you very much for your answer. I am quite glad I got a name right for a change! Thanks also for your nice comment on the photos - they were difficult because they kept in full sun. But it was great to know they would turn up every morning!