Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom, 1854

Rosa, Paolo, 2023, New records for the Indian cuckoo wasp fauna (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) with description of two new species and remarks on types of Smith and Cameron, Journal of Natural History 57 (29 - 32), pp. 1396-1433 : 1403-1405

Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom, 1854

( Figures 3A–D , 4A–4D )

Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom, 1854: 202 . Holotype ♀; India: Bengal (ZMUC). Kimsey and Bohart [1990] 1991, p. 404 (cat., India: Bengal, elegans group); Rosa et al. 2017c, p. 81 (typ., fig. 10).

Chrysis quaerita Nurse, 1902, p. 307 . Holotype J; India: Deesa (NHMUK) (examined and illustrated in Rosa et al. 2021a). syn. n.

Material examined

INDIA: 1J, Holotype of Chrysis quaerita Nurse : Deesa, 9.01/J/Type, Col. C.G. Nurse Collection 1920–72/ BMNH ( E) #970924 [NHMUK]; 1♀, Holotype of Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom : C. dissimilis Dahlb. Bengal / May 1808 /Mus. Westerm. ZMUC 00240117 [ ZMUC]; 1J, 1♀: ICRISAT India 23.3.82 DJ Coll. No 734/C.I.E. COLL. A. 13913/hyperparasite on Delta conoideus predator on H. armigera pigeon pea/ Chrysis quaerita Nurse Det. D. Morgan 1982 [NHMUK].

Distribution

India (Bengal, Gujarat) . ICRISAT is the acronym for International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and currently is located in two localities in India: New Delhi and Hyderabad . Based on the label I cannot determine the collection locality of the specimens deposited at NHMUK.

Remarks

Chrysis dissimilis was described from a single female and was considered a member of the elegans species group by Kimsey and Bohart ([1990] 1991). This interpretation was later followed by Rosa et al. (2017c, 2021a), who examined the holotype at distance via photographs. After the examination of both sexes of Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom , reared together and deposited at NHMUK, I transfer this species to the scutellaris group. Chrysis dissimilis belongs to the scutellaris group for its general habitus and body colour pattern, with golden to red scutellum and metascutellum; for the simple apical margin of T3 not down-curved and with four obtuse apical teeth; for the scapal basin fully micro-punctate; and for the temples, in dorsal view, which are simple, not distinctly enlarged. Species of the elegans group normally have T3 apically down-curved, without four apical teeth or undulations; the scapal basin is normally medially polished and the temples are enlarged.

Chrysis quaerita Nurse, 1902 was described from a single male, and it was only recently placed in the scutellaris group by Rosa et al. (2021a). Sexual association in Chrysididae is often challenging, and several cases are known with males and females of the same species described as different species, such as the Indian species Chrysis nursei Bingham, 1903 synonym of Chrysis gujaratica Nurse, 1903 ( Rosa et al. 2021a). In the case of Chrysis dissimilis , the male and female of the same species, identified as Chrysis quaerita Nurse by D. Morgan in 1982, were reared from a nest of Delta conoideus which provisioned the nests with Helicoverpa armigera collected from pigeon pea. This rearing information was taken from the label details. The male matches with the examined type of Chrysis quaerita , although the female matches with the holotype of C. dissimilis which was only known from the type and was a species unknown to Morgan. Chrysis dissimilis is the name with priority and I here propose the new synonymy Chrysis quaerita Nurse, 1903 syn. n. of Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom, 1854 .

This species apparently has a wide distribution on the Indian subcontinent, from Bengal to Gujarat. The host association with Delta ( Vespidae : Eumeninae) is unusual and is recorded for the first time. In fact, species of the scutellaris and elegans groups are known to be parasitoids of wild bees ( Megachilidae ) ( Kimsey and Bohart [1990] 1991). I suppose that the nest of Delta could have been re-used by a megachilid bee that was later parasitised by the female of the cuckoo wasp.

Figures

Figure 3. Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom, 1854. A. Habitus ♀, lateral view. B. Habitus J, lateral view. C. Head ♀, frontal view. D. Head J, frontal view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 4. Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom, 1854. A. Head and mesosoma ♀, dorsal view. B. Head and mesosoma J, dorsal view.C. Metasoma ♀, dorsal view. D. Metasoma J, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm.