Chrysidea phoebe Zimmermann 1956

Chrysidea phoebe Zimmermann, 1956

Figs 6–7, 9C

Chrysidea phoebe Zimmermann, 1956: 151

Chrysidea phoebe – Zimmermann 1961: 320 (catalog). — Bohart 1988: 130 (key, partim). — Kimsey & Bohart 1991: 314 (catalog). — Madl 2008: 83 (catalog). — Azevedo et al. 2010: 830 (catalog).

Chrysidea pumiloides – Zimmermann 1961: 320 (catalog). — Bohart 1988: 130 (key, partim). — Kimsey & Bohart 1991: 314 (catalog). — Madl 2008: 83 (catalog). — Azevedo et al. 2010: 830 (catalog).

Material examined

Holotype MADAGASCAR • ♀; “MNHN, Paris/ EY25667”; “MUSÉUM PARIS”; “Madagascar: Bekily / XI – 1943 / A. Seyrig ”;“ Chrysidea / phoebe Zimm. / det. Zimmermann /Type![handwritten by Zimmermann]”; “♀ Chrysidea / phoebe / Zimmermann/ Holotype [handwritten on red card]”; MNHN.

Other material

MADAGASCAR • 1 ♀; “ MADAGASCAR / BEHARA ”; “MUSÉUM PARIS / I. 38 / A. SEYRIG ”; “ Chrysidea / phoebe Zimm. / det. Zimmermann [handwritten by Zimmermann on white card]”; “Type [red paper glued on the previous label]”; NHMW • 1 ♂; “ Madagascar / Sikora ”; “MUSEUM PARIS / MADAGASCAR/ H. DE SAUSSURE 1901”; “ Chrysidea / pumiloides / ♂ Zimm. [handwritten by Bohart]”; MNHN.

Diagnosis

Chrysidea phoebe is characterized by the combination of the following characters: metatarsus paler, yellowish to testaceous; TFC present; head wide, 1.2–1.3 × as wide as high; MS = 0.6–0.8 MOD; tegula metallic green; T2 with interspaces among punctures distinctly (female) or weakly (male) microreticulate; distal margin of T3 with large, triangular lateral teeth and distal apex angulated, interval between median angle and lateral tooth substraight; paramere with inner margin weakly expanded, narrowed apically.

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 6.2 mm.

HEAD. Width 1.2 × as wide as high. Scapal basin deep, transversely wrinkled and outer margin punctate. TFC present above scapal basin, sinuate (Fig. 6B); second irregular TFC present but indistinct between midocellus and TFC (Fig. 6B). Antennomeres P, F1, F2, F 3 in the following proportions: 1.9, 2.3, 1.8, 1.3; F7–11 missing in holotype; OOL = 1.7 MOD; POL = 2.3 MOD; MS = 0.6 MOD; apical margin of clypeus weakly concave; mandible edentate; basal width of mandible = 1.3 MOD. Brow with large, irregular and longitudinally contiguous punctures; punctures between the two TFC deeper, irregular, and continuous (Fig. 6B), PD on vertex 0.3–0.5 MOD.

MESOSOMA. Pronotal groove shallow and indistinct, extending ⁴⁄₅ length of pronotum. Notauli deep, complete; parapsidal lines indicated by smooth strip. Mesoscutellum almost flat. Metanotum weakly producing posteriorly (Fig. 6A), separated from mesoscutellum by deep furrow and large anteromedian pit (Fig. 6C). Mesosoma entirely covered with large deep punctures and small shallow punctures: largest punctures 0.6 MOD; mesoscutellum medially with impunctate area, interspaces among punctures microsculptured (Fig. 6C). Episternal sulcus and scrobal sulcus distinct, formed by large foveae. Forewing with discoidal cell framed by nebulous veins, not enclosed by pigmented veins (Fig. 6A).

METASOMA. Faint median line present on T1 (Fig. 6D). Punctures on T1 0.3–0.5 MOD, 0.1–0.2 PD apart, with smooth interspaces; punctures on T2 smaller, 0.2–0.3 MOD, 0.2 PD apart, with interspaces microreticulate; median line indistinct (holotype) or distinct (a female in NHMW); pre-pit row area of T3 not bulged; pit row distinct, with large and deep pits. Apex of T3 with a pair of lateral triangular teeth; distal apex angulated (Fig. 6F); interval between lateral tooth and median angle substraight. S2 black spots (Fig. 6E) oval, 0.5 MOD apart each other (metasomal sterna missing in holotype).

COLORATION. Head and mesosoma metallic green or blue-green with blue or purplish luster, ocellar region more bluish. Antenna black with scape, pedicel metallic green. Mandible medially testaceous, distally dark brown, basal ½ metallic green. Tegula metallic green; deep anteromedian pit on metanotum metallic blue. Legs metallic green or blue-green except tarsi entirely yellowish (Fig. 6A). Metasomal terga metallic green or blue-green with blue luster; metasomal sterna metallic green with golden luster (holotype lacks sterna).

Male

Body 4.7 mm. The single known specimen lacks F5–F11. Similar to female (Fig. 7 A–B, F), but different as follow: body greenish, metasoma metallic green with faint golden luster (Fig. 7D), tarsi dark testaceous, only metabasitarsus yellowish; head 1.3 × as wide as high, upper TFC more distinct (Fig. 7B), MS = 0.8 MOD; interspaces among punctures on mesoscutellum smooth (Fig. 7C); tarsi light brown with metabasitarsus testaceous (Fig. 7A); punctures on metasoma sparser, 0.2–0.3 PD apart on T2; S2 black spots large, rounded, medially separated by 0.4 MOD (Fig. 7E); paramere with inner margin weakly expanded, narrowed apically (Fig. 9C); aedeagus narrowed apically (Fig. 9C).

Distribution

Southern Madagascar.

Biology

Unknown.

Remarks

Chrysidea phoebe is similar to C. phragmiticola Zimmerman, 1961. The T3 distal apex in C. phoebe is distinctly angulated and the interval between the median angle and a lateral tooth is substraight (Figs 6F, 7F); on the other hand, the posterior margin is rounded and the median angle is absent in C. phragmiticola. The body color of both species is basically metallic green, but metabasitarsus of C. phoebe is yellowish (Figs 6A, 7A), non-metallic green as in C. phragmiticola. A female in NHMW is considered to be non-type material, even if it has a type label, because no type was designated other than the holotype deposited in MNHN (Zimmermann, 1956).