Chrysis mirae Rosa, 2022

Boustani, Mira & Rosa, Paolo, 2022, Survey of cuckoo wasps of Lebanon (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) with description of four new species, Zootaxa 5104 (1), pp. 1-39 : 18-19

Chrysis mirae Rosa , sp. nov.

( Figs 5A–5F , 6A–6F , 14C )

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Diagnosis. Chrysis mirae Rosa , sp. nov. belongs to the C. elegans species group. The female is characterized by straight genal carina, seen in lateral view ( Fig. 5C ); TFC not strongly elevated, partially faint; scapal basin widely polished medially ( Fig. 5B ); tergum III apically arched, in dorsal view ( Fig. 5A ); in lateral view, post pit row area wide, its length more than 2–3 × times pit diameter ( Figs 5C, 5F ); setae erected on tergum III dorsally. The male is recognizable by the shape of the black spots on sternum II ( Fig. 6F ); genital capsule, with elongate and curved apex of gonocoxa ( Figs 6C , 14C ).

Material examined. LEBANON: holotype, N. Lebanon: Tannourine El Tahta, Mar Boutrous , 1207 m, 25.vii.2019, ♀, on Echinops gaillardotii , leg. M. Boustani ( NMLU) . Paratypes, same locality, collector and visited flowers, 27.vi.2019, 2♂ ( PRC, MBOU); Tannourine El Tahta, Saint Peter Church , 1155 m, 1♀, leg. X. Van achter ( PRC) .

Description. Female holotype ( Figs 5A–5F ). Body length 9.3 mm.

Head. OOL 1.5 × MOD; POL 2.0 × MOD; MS 0.6 × MOD; relative length of P:F1:F2:F3 = 1.0:1.5:0.7:0.6. Punctures on brow between frontal carina and anterior ocellus dense, small (PD about 0.2 × MOD) and contiguous, without polished interspaces; punctures between ocellar triangle and eye scattered, interspaces polished, about 1.0 PD or wider; polished area lateral to posterior ocelli wide; TFC irregular, slightly raised medially, with two later undulations; lateral ending close to eye margin; genal carina straight, sharp, fully developed from temple to mandibular insertion ( Fig. 5C ); scapal basin micropunctate laterally, widely polished medially, from uppermost margin to clypeal margin, forming subsquare, polished median area; malar spaces short (1.0 × MOD); subantennal space 1.0 × MOD; apex of clypeus dark brown, its apical profile triangular.

Mesosoma. Medial pronotal line [= pronotal groove] slightly impressed, as long as 2/3rds length of pronotum; punctures on pronotum larger than those on vertex, interspaces polished with small dots; punctures on mesoscutum larger; punctures on median area of mesoscutum more spaced without small dots and extensively polished; notauli formed by deep, subrectangular foveae; parapsidal signum [= parapsidal line] deep and fully visible; punctures on mesoscutellum similar to those of mesoscutum, antero-medially more spaced; mesoscutellar-metanotal suture formed by deep punctures; punctures on metanotum deep, subcontiguous; posterior propodeal projections [= propodeal teeth] slightly divergent; faint episternal sulcus on mesopleuron, barely recognizable as slight depression.

Metasoma. Punctures on terga I–III large and deep medially, interspaces narrow, with small dots; punctures smaller laterally, interspaces wider and polished; median longitudinal carina barely indicated on tergum II; tergum III without pre pit swelling; pits of pit row small, deep, partially confluent; lateral edge of tergum III with concavity before apical margin; apical margin ( Fig. 5F ) slightly deflected, with narrow hyaline rim; slight undulations before lateral angles and apico-medially; post pit row area 2–3 × times pits diameter; black spots on sternum II large, as long as 3/5ths of segment length, close each other anteriorly, widely separated posteriorly; posterior margin slightly curved ( Fig. 5E ).

Colouration. Head and mesosoma metallic green; median area of mesoscutum dark blue to blackish on anterior half; metasoma golden dorsally; anterior declivity and apical margin of tergum I contrasting green; metasoma green ventrally; scape and pedicel green; flagellomeres dark brown; tegulae non-metallic brown; wings slightly infuscate.

Vestiture. Malar spaces, vertex and genae with scattered, whitish setae (1.0–1.5 × MOD); mesosoma laterally and legs, including trochanters, with extremely long (3.0–4.0 × MOD) erect and whitish setae ( Fig. 5E ); metasoma laterally and ventrally with long (up to 4.0 × MOD), erect and whitish setae ( Fig. 5F ).

Male ( Figs 6A–6F , 14C ). Body length 9.0–9.5 mm. Similar to the female; sexual dimorphic characters are basitarsi distinctly lighter to whitish and reduced black spots on sternum II. Easily separable from the similar Chrysis villosa Rosa , sp. nov. by larger shape of black spots on sternum II ( Fig. 6F ) and genital capsule with elongate apex of gonocoxa ( Figs 6C , 14 C ).

Etymology. The specific epithet mirae (feminine noun in genitive) is dedicated to Mira Boustani (Mons, Belgium), for her studies on the bees of Lebanon and because she collected most of the recent cuckoo wasps examined in this study.

Collecting site ( Fig. 2B ). The type locality is in the Supra-Mediterranean vegetation level, with mainly Quercus sp. and Pistachia sp. woods, and Spartium junceum in the clearings and open areas. The site is a disturbed sandy-soil area with many solitary bee nesting sites and predominantly Echinops gaillardotii flowering at the time of collection in June and July. The specimens were caught on flowers of both Daucus sp. and E. gaillardotii .

Remarks. Chrysis mirae Rosa , sp. nov. belongs to the C. elegans species group and it is closely related to C. villosa Rosa , sp. nov. The female is separated by: straight genal carina, seen in lateral view ( Fig. 5C ) (curved at mid gena in C. villosa ( Fig. 10C )); subgena apparently more expanded, in lateral view, due to the different subgenal carina course; TFC not strongly elevated, partially faint (vs. strong and fully developed); scapal basin widely polished medially ( Fig. 5B ) (vs. more densely punctate at sides, with a reduced impunctate area, triangularly shaped ( Fig. 10B )); metafemur less hairy ( Fig. 5E ); tergum III apically arched, in dorsal view ( Fig. 5A ) (vs. straight, with two blunt lateral corners ( Fig. 10A )); in lateral view, post pit row area wide, its length more than 2–3 × times pit diameter ( Figs 5C, 5F ) (vs. post pit row area narrow, as long as 1 pits diameter, or a little more ( Figs 10C, 10F )); setae erected on tergum III dorsally (vs. setae laying down); metasoma golden (vs. flame red to violet); male recognizable by the different shape of the black spots on sternum II (compare Figs 6F and 11F ); different genital capsule, with elongate and curved apex of gonocoxa (compare Figs 6C , 11C , and Figs 14C, 14D ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. A) View of the Horch Ehden Forest Reserve outskirts with sparsely wooded areas of Quercus sp., and Juniperus sp., and a dense herbaceous vegetation dominated by Medicago sp. B) View of the type locality of Chrysis mirae sp. nov. in the Supra-Mediterranean vegetation level with mainly Quercus sp., Pistachia sp., and Spartium junceum. The disturbed sandy-soil hosts many bee nesting sites. C) View of the type locality of Philoctetes acuminatus sp. nov. in the Oro-mediterranean.The vegetation is steppic with mainly Astragalus sp. thorny shrubs and Asphodeline taurica bulbous flowers. D) Flowers of Asphodeline taurica on which specimens of Philoctetes acuminatus sp. nov. were found.

FIGURE 5. Chrysis mirae Rosa, sp. nov., ♀, holotype. A) Habitus, dorsal view. B) Head, frontal view. C) Habitus, lateral view. D) Head, dorsal view. E) Habitus, ventral view. F) Metasoma, postero-lateral view. Scale bars 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 6. Chrysis mirae Rosa, sp. nov., ♂, paratype. A) Habitus, dorsal view. B) Head, frontal view. C) Genital capsule. D) Metasoma, postero-lateral view. E) Habitus, lateral view. F) Metasoma, ventral view. Scale bars 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 10. Chrysis villosa Rosa, sp. nov., ♀, holotype. A) Habitus, dorsal view. B) Head, frontal view. C) Habitus, lateral view. D) Head, dorsal view. E) Habitus, ventral view. F) Metasoma, postero-lateral view. Scale bars 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 11. Chrysis villosa Rosa, sp. nov., ♂. A) Habitus, dorsal view. B) Head, frontal view. C) Genital capsule. D) Meta- soma, postero-lateral view. E) Habitus, lateral view. F) Metasoma, ventral view. Scale bars 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 14. Genital capsules A) Chrysis verna Dahlbom, 1854. B) C. rasmonti sp. nov. C) C. mirae sp. nov. D) C. villosa sp. nov.