Chrysidea merina, Mita & Rosa, 2019

Mita, Toshiharu & Rosa, Paolo, 2019, Redescription of Chrysidea pumiloides Zimmermann, 1956, and description of three new species of Chrysidea from Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae), European Journal of Taxonomy 564, pp. 1-20 : 9-11

Chrysidea merina sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:64E63FB6-4DD8-4180-8DC2-D6A7A6705AB0

Fig. 5

Chrysogona pumila – Buysson 1910: 125 (key, partim), 126.

Chrysidea pumiloides – Bohart 1988: 130 (key, partim).

Diagnosis

Chrysidea merina sp. nov. is characterized by the combination of the following characters: double TFC present; head wide, 1.4 × as wide as high; distal margin of T3 with large, triangular lateral teeth and short median tooth, and interval faintly substraight; MS = 0.8 MOD; tegula metallic blue-green, basally purplish; T2 without microsculpture.

Etymology

Chrysidea merina sp. nov. is named after the Merina people, the largest ethnic group in Madagascar.

Material examined

Holotype

MADAGASCAR • ♀; “Madagascar”; “MUSEUM PARIS / MADAGASCAR / H DE SAUSSURE 1901”; “ Chrysogona / pumila Klug / R. DU BUYSSON det. 19?? [handwritten by Buysson]”;

“ Chrysidea / pumiloides ♀ Zimm. / R M Bohart det [handwritten by Bohart, two labels with the same information are pinned together]”; “ Holotype ♀ / Chrysidea merina Mita & Rosa, 2019 ”; MNHN.

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 5.1 mm.

HEAD. Width 1.4 × as wide as high. Scapal basin deep, transversely wrinkled and outer margin punctate. Two TFC present above scapal basin and below anterior ocellus, sinuate ( Fig. 5B ). Antennomeres P, F1, F2, F 3 in the following proportions: 1.5, 1.8, 1.3, 1.5; F1 l/w = 1.5; OOL = 2.3 MOD; POL = 2.3 MOD; MS = 0.8 MOD; apical margin of clypeus weakly concave; mandible edentate; basal width of mandible = 1.5 MOD. Brow among the two TFC with large, irregular and contiguous foveate punctures; punctures above TFC deeper, PD on vertex 0.4–0.5 MOD ( Fig. 5B ).

MESOSOMA. Pronotal groove shallow and indistinct, extending ¾ length of pronotum. Notauli deep, complete; parapsidal lines indicated by smooth strip. Mesoscutellum almost flat. Metanotum rounded, not separated from mesoscutellum by deep furrow ( Fig. 5A, C ), large anteromedian pit present. Mesosoma entirely punctate by deep punctures; punctures on pronotum, mesoscutum, and mesoscutellum largely equal in size: largest punctures 0.6 MOD. Episternal sulcus and scrobal sulcus distinct, formed by large foveae. Forewing with discoidal cell enclosed by pigmented veins.

METASOMA. Median line scarcely visible on T1 and T2 ( Fig. 5D ). Punctures on T1 0.3–0.4 MOD, 0.2– 0.5 PD apart, with smooth interspaces; punctures on T2 and T3 smaller, 0.2 MOD, with interspaces smooth only faintly microreticulate anteriorly and posteriorly; pre-pit row area of T3 not bulged; pit row distinct, with large and deep pits. Apex of T3 with a pair of lateral triangular teeth, interval between teeth substraight, short median tooth present ( Fig. 5D, F ). S2 black spots ( Fig. 5E ) oval and medially separated by 1.3 MOD.

COLORATION. Head metallic blue, face and gena metallic blue-green with blue scapal basin, ocellar region blackish, vertex with violet luster.Antenna black with scape, pedicel metallic blue-green, F1 with faintly green luster. Mandible basally blackish, distally brown, basal ¼ metallic green. Mesosoma metallic blue with violet luster, partly blue-green, surface between notauli blackish. Tegula metallic blue-green, basally purplish. Legs dark brown with strong green reflection except tarsi dark brown. Metasomal terga metallic blue, blackish medially, posterior margin of T1 and T2 greenish, T3 with violet luster. Sterna metallic green.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Madagascar.

Biology

Unknown.

Remarks

The color of Chrysidea merina sp. nov. is similar to that of C. pumiloides ; however, it is easily distinguished from the latter by the presence of a double TFC ( Fig. 5B ), the forewing with discoidal cell enclosed by pigmented veins and the median tooth on T3. A similar median tooth is present in C. dido Zimmermann, 1956 , but it has discoidal cell framed by only weakly pigmented veins. Following characters are useful to distinguish C. merina sp. nov. from C. dido : bluish body color; small and dense punctures on T2 ( Fig. 5D ); median tooth on T3 very small and interval between lateral and median tooth substratight ( Fig. 5F ). The body color of C. dido is metallic green, punctures on T2 are larger and sparser, interval between lateral and median tooth excavated.

Figures

Fig. 5. Chrysidea merina sp. nov., holotype, ♀. A. Lateral habitus. B. Head. C. Mesosoma. D. Metasoma. E. Black spots on S2. F. T3. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.