by Euchroeus » 02 Jul 2011 21:26
Dear Pietsje,
some more details.
Females of C. pallipes and C. semiauratus are quite easy to ID.
Here some character according to Móczár (2001):
- coxae, trochanters, femora and tibiae dark brown or brownish black, excepting yellowish brown fore tibiae, especially on lower face. Outer side of fore femora with a coppery highlight or golden tint. Scape dark brown with reddish coppery tint at upper side. Pedicel, flagellomeres brown, except pale brown Ped apically, and F-I-(II). Head, including face, usually pronotum, mesonotum extensively flame red, or often partly green; scutellum, postscutellum golden red or golden green. Propodeum, excepting the black oblique grooves, mesopleuron, extensively bluish green or greenish blue, and golden along ventral margin and in front. Mesopleuron finely striate, at most rugose partly. T-IV dark brown, without or rarely with pale blue reflection or tint ....... C. semiauratus (L.)
- Legs, scape, pedicel, F-I-II-III entirely yellowish orange or pale yellowish brown. Face coppery red with two large black spots. Vertex, pronotum, mesonotum, scutellum and postscutellum reddish coppery with more or less golden and partly greenish reflections. Mesopleuron greenish and red, partly golden in front along the ventral margin. Surface finely strigose, sometimes with more elongate shallow and 1-2 larger abd deeper foveae mostly along ventral margin. Propodeum usually dark bluish green. T-IV usually greenish blue ............... C. pallipes Lepeletier
Males sometimes are not so easy to ID, however, if you have any doubt, just dissect the specimen and check the genital capsulae, which are very different. I attach 2 pictures from my book (I crisidi della Valle d'Aosta):
- Fore tibiae yellowish brown or more brownish on upper side, middle and especially hind tibiae dark brown, usually with a metallic tint. T-IV-V balck, without violet reflection, T-V often with some bluish tint or extensively blue. Mesopleuron with an oblique parallel ridging, partly striate and strigose with 1-2 foveae along the ventral margin in front. Process of fore coxae bright, like a tooth (see genitalia) ...... C. semiauratus (L.)
- All tibiae usually yellowish brown, middle and hind tibiae pale brown or exceptionally with a pale greenish bronze tint. Mostly T-IV with more or less violet reflection or tint in the majority of specimens. T-IV black usually medially, greenish blue laterally, T-V greenish blue extensively or only medially; rarely T-IV-V extensiv greenish blue or T-IV rarely black, only T-V blue. Mesopleuron strigose with more elongate or more or less round and shallow foveae on its lower surface or along the ventral margin. Process of fore coxae less shining, not like a tooth (See genitalia) ........... C. pallipes Lepeletier
- Attachments
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- Photo: @ M. Zilioli (from P.Rosa: I crisidi della Valle d'Aosta)
- Cleptes.jpg (69.17 KiB) Viewed 10036 times