Chrysis inaequalis Dahlbom, 1845 - Ukraine

[Kate Martynova]

Hello, colleagues
I've got a dozen specimens of this species in my collection from Ukraine (Eastern Europe). I can not determine them according to Linsenmaier's keys properly - is it Chrysis rutiliventris Abeille 1879 (ssp. proba?), or may be it is Chrysis sinensis? I have doubts in this determinations. Could it be a new species?
Could someone help me? What are other opinions?
The specimen is 9-10 mm long.
Best regards, Kate

[Euchroeus]

Welcome Kate

I understand what you mean!
It's easy to get lost with Linsenmaier's keys.

Your specimen is Chrysis inaequalis ssp. sapphirina Semenov. According to Linsenmaier it belongs to a different subgenus: Pentachrysis, and not Chrysis s.str. Probably this is the reason why you could not correctly ID this specimen.

The question is: is sapphirina a valid taxon or is it a colour variation of inaequalis?
I recently designated the neotype of inaequalis Dahlbom and I collected some specimens in alcohol for molecular analysis.

Could you collect 1 or 2 specimens in alcohol (better 99% or more) for molecular analysis?

Thank you very much in advance
Best Regards
Paolo

[Kate Martynova]

Hello, Paolo
A have a lot of inaequalis specimens and they all differ from "this species" by having two teeth on mezopleuras (and not only this, of course). A must apologize, I had to notice this fact at first. I consider inaequalis to be an "easy species" in my collection, which is easy to determine by other keys - by Nicolskaya, Moczar, Balthasar.
A have a photo of mezopleuras of "this species", but it is not very good.

mezopleuras with teeth?

Копия IMG_5119.JPG (151.8 KiB) Viewed 8479 times

What can You say?
Sometimes earlier I made the mistakes in determination due to sex dimorphism, but I guess this is not that case.
In a month I will be able to review my collection - than I will make some comparable photo of these two species in males and females. So, don't spoil Your time more, I will write in a time.
It is not a problem to send a couple of specimens You need, I have an 99% alcohol.
I have a lot of problematic species in my collection (about 30 from 120) so, this is not my last letter
Best regards, Kate

[Euchroeus]

Hi Kate,

Hello, Paolo
A have a lot of inaequalis specimens and they all differ from "this species" by having two teeth on mezopleuras (and not only this, of course). ...
A have a photo of mezopleuras of "this species", but it is not very good.
What can You say?

This is not the right angle to see the 2 teeth, you should turn the specimen and see the teeth from the dorsal side, with a little angle of about 15-20 degrees. I think there are 2 teeth in your mesopleurae.

However in Greece I collected many Chrysis mysticalis Linsenmaier, 1959. Werner Arens collected a lot of them in Peloponnese. I think that if this specimen is not sapphirina, then it could be mysticalis.
There's an easy way to solve the problem: dissect the male genitalia and post their picture. They are quite typical in mysticalis.

In the Chrysis inaequalis group there are only few species known: C. inaequalis and C. mysticalis. Other species are not well defined. I consider C. placida Mocsáry as a valid species, but females are very difficult to separate from the females of C. inaequalis, and they seem to be conspecific. However, I don't think this is Chrysis placida because males are always very easy to ID, because of the colour on the first tergite: it's like in the female of C. fulgida.
When I visited the Kilimnik's collection in Kiev I found a lot of confusion under the name fulgida. If I remember well, in the same column there were more species: fulgida, immaculata, castigata, placida and sapphirina, only beacuse they have a similar colour. Be careful if you use this collection as a reference collection.

Then, in the inaequalis group there are other subspecific names:
1. cypernensis, endemic of Cyprus, which I exclude from Ukraine and
2. poetica Semenov (replace name for caucasica Mocsáry). I searched for the type of this taxon in Vienna, but it's missing. Mocsáry wrote that the types of many Caucasian species are housed in Vienna, but they are not there. Probably they are deposited in an other collection (Krakow? - I will see the next week).

Otherwise it could be an undescribed species.

Let's start with genitalia examination.

Cheers
Paolo

P.S.: it's great if you can collect a couple in alcohol. The past year I collected even some mysticalis in alcohol, so we can have material for molecular analysis from Spain to France, Italy and Ukraine.

[Kate Martynova]

Hello Paolo,
Thank You for such an detailed answer. I understood the situation. In a month I will make the necessary photo - genitalia in first.
As I understood, You are interested in inaequalis group. Lets do the next - I will collect the specimens of this group during 2012 season, then I will send them and You will be able to decide personally, what species they belong to. Is there any peculiarities of preserving in alcohol? I gust know, that the specimen should be as clean, as it possible. Should I make them pass through 70%, 85%, 95% alcohol?
P.S. I do know A.N. Kilimnik personally, but he is out of the contact for the last year and I have not seen the collection in Kyiv.
Best regards, Kate

[Euchroeus]

Hi Kate!

thanks! It's perfect if you put them directly in 95% or 99% alcohol.

Thank you very much in advance
Paolo

[Kate Martynova]

Hello, Paolo
You are right!
This is Chrysis inaequalis – male (not a female). I decided not to post the photo of teeth on mesopleurae, because I did see them under the angle You said, they are somewhat less clear, than in females. How could I miss it?!
I have never met the data on sex dimorphism in this species, but all males from Eastern Ukraine have the coloration as shown in previous phoho – I mean the Tergum 1 is green accept of the thin end line. One male from Crimea has T1 completely orange with reddish glow – steel it obviously differs from T2 and T3.
I made the photo of genitalia, but I failed to post it here. Genitalia look the same as in Linsenmaier's pictures in my opinion.
P.S. I do have one speciemen of inaequalis in alcohol for You. It is not the last! Could You give me the adress to send them in future (in the end of the season). My E-mail: martynov_av@ukr.net
Best regards, Kate