Holopyga virescens Mocsáry, 1914

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 : 1418-1421

Holopyga virescens Mocsáry, 1914

( Figure 14A–14F )

Holopyga (Hedychridium) virescens Mocsáry, 1914, p. 5 . Holotype ♀; India: Uttar Pradesh: Bulandshahr (NHMUK).

Hedychridium mocsaryi Rosa in Rosa et al. 2021: 14. Unnecessary replacement name for Hedychridium virescens ( Mocsáry, 1914) nec du Buysson, 1908.

Material examined

1♀: Bulandshahr U. Prad. India V.05/17 / Holopyga virescens Mocs. typ. det. Mocsáry / Col. Bingham 1902–120/ Holotype /B.M. TYPE HYM. 13.22/ NHMUK 014420287 [ NHMUK].

Distribution

India (Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat).

Remarks

Holopyga virescens was described by Mocsáry (1914) in the subgenus Hedychridium Abeille de Perrin, 1878 , considered a valid genus by all subsequent and contemporary authors. All the species described by Mocsáry (1889, 1914) were later recognised to be members of Hedychridium , as in the case of the Indian Hedychridium aeruginosum ( Mocsáry, 1914) . For this reason, Rosa et al. (2021a) transferred Holopyga virescens to the genus Hedychridium where virescens (Mocsáry) automatically became a secondary junior homonym of Hedychridium virescens du Buysson, 1908 . Rosa in Rosa et al. (2021a) therefore replaced Hedychridium virescens (Mocsáry) with the name Hedychridium mocsaryi .

After type examination, I confirm that Holopyga (Hedychridium) virescens is not a member of Hedychridium , but a member of Holopyga Dahlbom, 1845 , or probably of Pseudolopyga Krombein, 1969 . Members of the latter genus were described from the Palaearctic region in the subgenus Holopyga (Chamaeholopyga) ( Rosa et al. 2022b) and they are characterised by a slightly concave head, medially polished to slightly wrinkled ( Figure 14C ); temples (= postocular region, the continuation of the gena to the posterior limit of the head) narrow and rounded as in the genus Hedychridium ( Figure 14D ); mesopleuron simple, not strongly angulate ( Figure 14B ); fore wing medial vein not strongly arched, hind tarsal claws dimorphic, female claws with one subapical tooth, male with two; small body size. The type of Holopyga virescens is somewhat intermediate, having the ventrally acute mesopleuron, but not strongly angulate, and the medial vein arched, although not so strongly arched as in the other Holopyga species. For these reasons, I temporarily consider Holopyga virescens as a true Holopyga . In any case, the replacement name Holopyga mocsaryi Rosa, 2021 is unnecessary because the species does not belong to the genus Hedychridium s.str.

Figures

Figure 14. Holopyga virescens Mocsáry, 1914, holotype ♀. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head, frontal view. D. Head, dorsal view. E. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. F. Metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm.