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Chrysis ignita group? possible C. terminata!

PostPosted: 16 Nov 2022 22:15
by pietsje
I saw this Chrysis 12-11-2022, rather late in the year. Location The Netherlands, southern part. Checking a wooden pole.
Pics are probably not good enough but maybe there is a slight possibility to give a more accurate id?

Re: Chrysis ignita group?

PostPosted: 21 Dec 2022 20:26
by Alex
that late I would assume it's a C. terminata, the colours seem to fit, the head and thorax are a quite even blue-teal colour, while the abdomen has some shades of magenta

Re: Chrysis ignita group?

PostPosted: 23 Dec 2022 02:10
by pietsje
Ah thank you Alex, I've never seen this species. And indeed, rather late and so totally unexpected (to see sny gold wasp in the Netherlands in this time of year).

Although.... the information on www.waarneming.nl puzzles me. But I don't know if it's correct. Very late (medio November) vs 'remarkably early' is contracdictory. A possible explanation is more than 1 generation in a year (but that means automatically that the host has also possibly 2 generations in a year).
Unfortunately the pics are insufficient to id it proparly I presume.

About Chrysis terminata:

"Recognition: A medium-sized gold wasp from the ignita group. Chrysis terminata is relatively easy to recognize within the ignita group by the four distinct nodules/small bumps on the forehead ridge. Furthermore, the teeth on the anal edge of the abdomen are quite sharp and the thorax and head dorsally have white hair.

Distribution in the Netherlands: Unclear. Since the host is fairly common, there is a good chance that C. terminata is also fairly common in our country.

Lifestyle: The species parasitizes the wall wasp Ancistrocerus nigricornis. C. terminata flies remarkably early in the year, the species can even be found in late February. It is therefore plausible that all observations of Chrysis ignita s.l. between January and the end of April all concern C. terminata.

Re: Chrysis ignita group? possible C. terminata!

PostPosted: 25 Dec 2022 01:50
by Alex
Yes, it is a very early spring species - the females parasitise the equally early Ancistrocerus nigricornis in spring. However, males and females hatch from these nests in late summer/autumn, mate and the females overwinter as mated imagines (as opposed to almost all chrysidids and other aculeates that overwinter as pre-pupae). It's perhaps quicker to do the mating in autumn, and so the females can spend their time in spring looking for hosts only.
It's similar to many Halictidae like Lasioglossum and Sphecodes where males are seen late in summer.

Re: Chrysis ignita group? possible C. terminata!

PostPosted: 31 Dec 2022 13:47
by pietsje
Ah Alex, thank you for the clear explanation, that explains a lot about the biology of this species. Very interesting!