Chrysidea Bischoff, 1913

Rosa, Paolo & Xu, Zai-Fu, 2015, Contribution to the genus Chrysidea Bischoff, 1913 from China, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae), Zootaxa 4040 (4), pp. 465-468 : 465-466

Genus Chrysidea Bischoff, 1913

Chrysidea Bischoff, 1913: 34 . Type species: Chrysis pumila Klug, 1845 , by original designation. Chrysis (Chrysidea) Linnaeus, 1761 : Linsenmaier 1959: 170; Linsenmaier 1984: 196 (synonym of Chrysis ( Trichrysis )). Trichrysis (Chrysidea) Lichtenstein, 1876 : Kimsey & Bohart 1981: 77.

Chrysidea Bischoff : Bohart 1988: 129; Kimsey & Bohart 1991: 310; Rosa et al. 2014: 38.

Diagnosis. Head broader than high. Scapal basin hollowed, striate or microridged, topped by convex TFC, sometimes with a second upper TFC; F1 longer than F2 or F3, usually less than twice breadth; MS subequal or shorter than 1 MOD; pronotum with weak median groove and without sublateral carina; mesopleuron with episternal and scrobal sulci, omaulus and verticaulus; metanotum rounded, rarely projected posteriorly; fore wing discoidal cell usually with outer veins faint; T3 usually with only two lateral teeth, sometimes with one median tooth; S2 black spots oval or round, usually separated by 1–2 MOD. Genital capsule with gonocoxa notched apically, thus appearing bilobate.

Biology. Chrysidea are known as hosts of sphecid and crabronid wasps ( Zimmermann 1961; Kimsey & Bohart 1991).

Distribution. There are 19 valid species of Chrysidea distributed in the Palaearctic, Afrotropical and Oriental Regions. Chrysidea pumila ( Klug, 1845) is widespread in the Afrotropical and Palaearctic Regions; in the Palaearctic Region other two species are known; three in the Oriental Region; and thirteen in the Afrotropical Region, Malagasy Subregion.

Discussion. Green to blue chrysidids, with some bright colour species in the Afrotropical Region. Chrysidea Bischoff is close to Trichrysis Lichtenstein , nevertheless species are usually recognizable for combination of the following characteristics: TFC topping scapal basin (separated from scapal basin in Trichrysis ), fore wing discoidal cell usually incomplete, with outer veins indistinct or faint (complete and sclerotised in Trichrysis ), pronotum without sublateral carina (usually with sublateral carinae in Trichrysis ), with only two lateral teeth on apex of T3, rarely with three teeth (three or five teeth in Trichrysis ); S2 black spots distinctly separated by 1–2 MOD (fused medially or nearly so in Trichrysis ).