Hedychridium balearicum Strumia

Strumia, Franco & Gayubo, Severiano Fernández, 2013, To the knowledge of cuckoo wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) of the Balearic Archipelago, Spain, Zootaxa 3694 (5), pp. 471-485 : 474-476

16. Hedychridium balearicum Strumia , sp. nov.

( Fig. 2 )

Type material. Holotype, ♀, "Bunyola (Mallorca)/ 16– 31.08.2004 TMB/ Florencio Sanza legit" [NHMM]; paratypes: 1♂, "Soller (Mallorca)/ 1– 15.06.2005 "; 5♀, "Bunyola (Mallorca)/ 16– 31.07.2004 TMB/ Florencio Sanza legit"; 3♀, "Soller (Mallorca)/ 16– 30.06.2005 TMB/ Florencio Sanza legit"; 1♀, "Bunyola (Mallorca)/ 1– 15.06.2004 TMB/ Florencio Sanza legit"; 1♀, "Soller (Mallorca)/ 16– 31.07.2005 TMB/ Florencio Sanza legit"; 1♀, "Bunyola (Mallorca)/ 1- 15.07.2004 TMB/ Florencio Sanza legit"; 1♀, "Soller (Mallorca)/ 1– 15.07.2005 TMB/ Florencio Sanza legit"; 1♀, "Bunyola (Mallorca)/ TMB 16– 30.06.2004 / Florencio Sanza legit"; 2♂, 7♀, "Mallorca, Balearen/ Mal Pas Umfeld/ 2km NW Alcudia/ 39°51'25"N, 3°08'26"E / 18– 25.06.2011, leg. Reder" [FSC, paratypes from Alcudia in GRC].

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type archipelago.

Diagnosis. The new species is similar in body shape with H. monochroum du Buysson, but differs by the body color: pronotum, mesonotum, scutellum black, metanotum green, anterior angles of pronotum and of TI with a weak green shining, metasoma dorsum almost entirely black with a weak green shining on anterior angle of TI and posterolaterally of TIII; occiput largely black, with a small green area on the posterior-external side of back ocelli, ( Fig. 2 ).

Description. Body length 3.0–3.6 mm (average 3.5 mm, holotype 3.6. mm). Head. Face transverse, wider than higher: H/W=0.5; occiput black with a blue, small and unpunctated area beyond back ocelli ( Fig. 2 ); facial cavity blue, the front and occiput punctures extending on almost all facial cavity, the central transverse striation is restricted to a small area above antennal sockets, this area is smaller than in H. monochroum ; mandible brown in middle with two additional teeth on the internal side and with white setae externally; malar space strongly convergent and as long as MOD; antenna thin, black with scape metallic green; P L/W=2; FI L/W =3; temple green beyond the compound eye.

Mesosoma . Pronotum, mesonotum and scutellum black; tegulae black with metallic shining; metanotum, and mesopleuron green; propodeal angle pointed and directed outward; femora and tibiae metallic green, fore femur simple, not enlarged basally and without an inferior carina; tibiae distal apex non metallic brown; tarsus light brown darker distally.

Metasoma. Black with weak green shining on TI anterior angle and at sides of TIII; distal margin of TIII turned down laterally and with a thin and transparent rim. The punctures at base of TII are typical of monochroum group: oval and transverse in shape, PS≈ PD. SII dark brown with a diffuse and weak green shining also on laterosternite. TIII posterior margin oval and regular in shape with a weak and diffuse bronze–green shining.

The differences between H. balearicum and the others species of the group are subtle and partially overlapping within the intraspecific variability. To evidence the similarities between species we performed a multivariate statistical analysis by considering 28 different features in the body shape and color. The result is shown in Fig. 4 , with closer affinity between H. monochroum and H. balearicum . The differences between the Mediterranean species of this group is given in the key below.

Hedychridium monochroum is widespread in South Palearctic and Oriental Regions. Hedychridium etruscum is known from Sardinia, Corsica islands, most of Tuscany Archipelago and Western Tuscany, the same distribution is known for H. tyrrhenicum , with addition of Crete Island (Strumia 2006). The latter is the most frequent species of Montecristo Island (Tuscany, Italy), while H. atratum is presently known only from Turkey (Strumia & Yildirim 2008).

Distribution. Balearic Islands: Mallorca (Bunyola, Soller, Alcunia).

Fenology. All specimens were captured in June–August.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Similarity of eight West Mediterranean species of Hedychridium monochroum species-group based on 28 characters (Ward's method, Euckidean distance).

FIGURES 1 – 3. 1. Hedychridium tyrrhenicum, ♀ holotype, dorsal view (Moltifao, Corsica); 2. H. balearicum, ♀ holotype, dorsal view (Bunyola, Mallorca); 3. H. monochroum, ♀ from Asciano, Pisa, Italy, dorsal view.