Chrysis lapislazulina Rosa & Xu

Rosa, Paolo, Wei, Na-sen & Xu, Zai-fu, 2017, One new species and three new records of Chrysis Linnaeus from China (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae), ZooKeys 669, pp. 65-88 : 67

Chrysis lapislazulina Rosa & Xu sp. n. Figs 8, 9

Material examined.

Holotype, ♀, CHINA, Yunnan, Yuxi (20°21'07"N 102°32'47"E), 20.VII.2003, leg. Qiang Li (SCAU).

Diagnosis.

Chrysis lapislazulina sp. n. is recognised by the following characteristics: body blue with golden reflection (Figs 8, 9A); pronotum, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum medially with polished intervals among punctures (Fig. 9C); metasoma with fine and even punctures (Fig. 9E); apex of T3 without undulation or teeth (Fig. 9E). It can be distinguished from another Oriental species of the species-group, C. dissimilis by: almost uniform body colouration (mesosoma green with red scutellum and golden-red metanotum, and metasoma green with blue stripes antero-laterally on T2 and T3 in C. dissimilis (Fig. 10A)); apex of T3 without tooth or undulation (medially sinuous and with blunt lateral teeth in C. dissimilis , Figs 10C, 10E); black spots on S2 sub-rectangular (Fig. 9F) (sub-oval in C. dissimilis , Fig. 10F). The female of C. lapislazulina sp. n. can be separated from females of other Palaearctic species by: metasoma entirely blue (red to golden-red in other species); metasoma with even and fine punctures (large punctures, with or without intervals and usually decreasing in diameter posteriorly in other species); black spots on S2 sub-rectangular, basally separated by more than two MOD (vs. large and sub-oval, basally fused or narrowly separated in other species).

Description.

Holotype: Female. Body length 8.0 mm.

Head. Scapal basin medially polished and laterally micropunctate (Fig. 9B). TFC M-shaped, with two weak branches extending to the level of mid ocellus. Anterior margin of clypeus medially not emarginate, laterally with thickened brownish rim. Vertex with coarse punctures. Genal carina weak, present from mid gena to mandible. Relative length of P:F1:F2:F3 = 1.0:1.3:0.8:0.7; OOL = 2.0 MOD; POL = 2.3 MOD; MS = 1.0 MOD; subantennal space 1.0 MOD.

Mesosoma. Pronotum slightly longer than mesoscutellum (Fig. 9C); pronotal groove broad and almost reaching 2/3 of pronotum length; pronotal side with depression in dorsal view; punctuation coarse along anterior and lateral margins, with smaller punctures on pronotal groove and along posterior margin; pronotal dorsum with two darker areas with minute scattered punctures and impunctate intervals. Median lobe of mesoscutum in anterior half with broad, darker median area, with larger punctures and broader polished intervals; posterior half with even larger, contiguous, irregular punctures; lateral lobes of mesoscutum with more or less close, partly confluent punctuation; parapsidal furrow well incised. Mesoscutellum darker medially, with large punctures and broader intervals, smooth towards anterior edge; laterally with smaller, dense punctures and micropunctate intervals, punctuation reaching posterior edge. Metanotum slightly convex, with somewhat uneven punctures becoming denser postero-medially; anterior margin of metanotum with row of narrow, antero-posteriorly elongate foveae. Mesopleuron with small, shallow and round punctures, and shallow scrobal and episternal sulci (Fig. 9D).

Metasoma. Finely and densely punctate; punctation unusually smaller than others species of this species-group; their diameter about 1/3 to 1/4 of largest punctures on mesoscutum. T1 elongate (Fig. 9E), half as long as T2. T2 with weak or faint median ridge. T3 weakly saddled, with row of shallow small pits; apex of T3 without tooth or undulate. Black spots on S2 sub-rectangular and connected to lateral margins, widely separated medially (Fig. 9F).

Colouration. Body blue, darker on vertex, pronotum dorso-laterally, median and lateral lobes of mesoscutum medially (Figs 8, 9A) and mesoscutellum medially, metallic green on face and metasomal sternites (Figs 9B, 9F), with golden reflection on clypeus, scape and pedicel. Flagellomeres black (Fig. 9B). Tegula blackish brown, almost without metallic reflections. Post-tegula bright metallic blue (Fig. 9C). Forewing infuscate, with darkened anterior margin.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan).

Etymology.

The specific epithet lapislazulina refers to the intense blue colouration with darkened areas and golden reflections; this peculiar colouration resembles the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli.