Chrysis rasnitsyni Rosa, 2021

Rosa, P., 2021, First records of the Chrysis leachii group from sub-Saharan Africa, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae), Far Eastern Entomologist 437, pp. 16-23 : 18-21

Chrysis rasnitsyni Rosa , sp. n.

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ DAE96265-95F4-4C01-921D-A78E6FD44E3C

Figs 1A–B , 2A–D , 3A–E

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype – ♀, Ivory Coast: Denguélé, Odienné 20.IV 1980, [leg.

W. Perraudin], coll. Linsenmaier ( NMLU). Paratypes: same locality, collector and depository:

5♀, VIII 1979; 1♀, XI 1979; 2♀, 20.IV 1980; 3♀, Odienné, 6.IV 1978, leg. W. Perraudin

( NMLU); 2♀, idem, 9.IV 1980 ; 1♀, 17. V 1980; 2♀, idem, XI 1980 . Senegal: 3♀, 10 km E of Medina Gounas , 13°08.05’N 13°42.03’W, 25. VI 2004, leg. M. Halada ( MHC); 2♀, 15 km

E of Velingara , 28.VI 2004, leg. M. Halada ( MHC); 1♂, 70 km of W Tambacounda ,

13°57.39’N 14°15.92’W, 29.VI 2004, leg. M. Halada ( MHC). Central African Republic : 1♀,

60 km SE of Bouar , 05°42'N 16°00'E, 30.III 2010, leg. J. Halada ( MHC); 2 ♂, Koukorou-

Bamingui Reserve , 07°15'N 20°03'E, 20.IV 2010, leg. J. Halada ( MHC) .

DESCRIPTION. FEMALE. Body length: 4.5 mm.

Head. OOL 1.7 × MOD; POL 2.6 × MOD; MS 1.5 × MOD; relative length of P: F1: F2:

F3 = 1.0: 1.3: 0.7: 0.6. Frons between scapal basin and anterior ocellus with dense, polygonal,

large (about 0.6-0.8 × MOD) and contiguous punctures, without polished interspaces;

punctures arranged radially around anterior ocellus ( Fig. 1 ); head posterior to ocelli with smaller punctures and narrow interspaces; with small punctures aligned below eye; transverse frontal carina faint; scapal basin deep, with median narrowing, polished below frontal declivity, with sharp ridges, shallower along longitudinal midline; face between scapal basin and eye margin with large, contiguous punctures ( Fig. 2B ); genal carina straight, sharp, fully developed from mid eye to mandibular insertion; malar spaces relatively long (1.3 × MOD);

subantennal space extremely short, 0.5 × MOD; apex of clypeus with thin brown rim.

Mesosoma. Medial pronotal line large and elongate, reaching posterior margin of pronotum ( Fig. 1A ); pronotum as long as mesoscutellum, with deep, large punctures, as large as those on frons, rounded and with narrow, polished interspaces; mesoscutum with larger punctures on median area; notauli formed by deep, large foveae, with diameter similar to larger punctures; parapsidal signum almost faint, its area indicated by darker colour; mesoscutellum with irregular sized punctures; mesoscutellar-metanotal suture unusual, formed by deep, longitudinally elongate punctures, particularly elongate at sides, toward metanotal trough;

metanotum punctures similar to scutellum; posterior propodeal projections slightly divergent,

covered by deep, dense, small punctures; mesopleuron with large punctures, episternal sulcus formed by large confluent foveae, as well as scrobal sulcus.

male from Central African Rep. Scale bar 1.0 mm.

Metasoma. Tergum I with distinct double punctation, with deep, large punctures and interspaces densely punctate by small punctures ( Fig. 1A ); largest punctures smaller than those on mesonotum and metanotum; antero-median concavity deep and wide; tergum II with dense,

even punctures dorsally, sparser on segment sides ( Fig. 2A ); median longitudinal carina on terga II-III indicated by non-metallic black line; tergum III without slight pre pit swelling;

pits of pit row small, deep, longitudinally elongate ( Fig. 2C ); tergum III, in dorsal view,

triangular ( Fig. 1 ), with sharp median tooth ( Fig. 2C ); black spots on sternum II square, as long as half of segment length, posteriorly separated by thin metallic line ( Fig. 2D ).

Colour. Head metallic green with feeble golden reflections; pronotum dorsally blue,

anteriorly and laterally green; mesonotum red to orange, metanotum and propodeum green;

mesoscutum and metanotum with large, median, longitudinal, blue line; metasoma purple with posterior margin of each tergum green to blue, including the apical margin of third tergum; scape and pedicel green; flagellomeres dark brown; tegulae metallic green; wings hyaline with light brown nervures; legs green, meso- and metalegs red on outern side; sterna metallic green.

Variability. Specimens from Senegal are less brightly coloured.

MALE. Similar to female ( Figs 1B , 3A–E ), with dimorphic apical margin of third metasomal tergum less pointed.

view; B – head, frontal view; C – genital capsule; D – habitus, ventral view; E – metasoma,

dorso-lateral view. Scale bars 1.0 mm.

DIAGNOSIS. Chrysis rasnitsyni sp. n. is easily recognisable in the C. leachii group for several diagnostic features: unique body colouration, with blue median line from mesoscutum to scutellum and purple metasoma; large, deep and dense punctures on head and mesosoma;

apical margin of the third metasomal tergum triangular, with median pointed tooth; pits of the pit row deep and elongate. The other known sub-Saharan member of this group, C. nilensis

(reported here for the first time), has both sexes entirely green to blue; sparser punctation,

shallow and largely sparse on scutellum; apex of third tergum with shorter, blunt median tooth.

The same diagnostic characters separate C. rasnitsyni from all northern African species revised by Linsenmaier (1999).

ETYMOLOGY. The specific epithet rasnitsyni is a patronym honouring Prof. Dr. Alexandr

P. Rasnitsyn on the occasion of his 85th birthday and in recognition of his contributions to the study of the Hymenoptera , including Chrysididae .

Figures

Fig. 1. Chrysis rasnitsyni sp. n., habitus, dorsal view: A – female from Ivory Coast; B –

Fig. 2. Chrysis rasnitsyni sp. n., female: A – habitus, lateral view; B – head, frontal view; C – metasoma, postero-lateral view; D – metasoma, ventral view. Scale bars 1.0 mm.

Fig. 3. Chrysis rasnitsyni sp. n., male from Central African Republic: A – habitus, lateral