Trichrysis poseidonia, Bijoy, 2022

Rosa, Paolo, Aswathi, Pokkattu Gopi, Wiśniowski, Bogdan & Bijoy, Chenthamarakshan, 2022, Preliminary revision of the Indian cuckoo wasp genera Trichrysis Lichtenstein, 1876 and Chrysidea Bischoff, 1910, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae), European Journal of Taxonomy 852, pp. 117-143 : 129-132

Trichrysis poseidonia sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org.act:19970448-9945-46AB-BB89-F530D7016840

Figs 5–6 , 7D

Diagnosis

Large species (8.0– 8.5 mm) with green body, largely covered by dark blue areas, and with red spots apico-laterally on T2; TFC single, medially raised; sublateral carina partially developed anteriorly; teeth on the apical margin of T3 elongate and thickened; black spots on S2 large, subtrapezoidal, and largely fused medially. Species easily recognisable by its colour pattern and elongated and thickened teeth on the apical margin of T3.

Etymology

The specific name derives from ‘Poseidon’, the Greek god of the sea, for the sharp and elongate apical teeth, recalling Poseidon’s trident; it also follows the tradition of naming species with deity names (see, e.g., Trichrysis neptunia (Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1967) and Chrysis kartikeya Rosa & Halada, 2021 ).

Material examined

Holotype INDIA • ♀; Tamil Nadu, Vilupparam, Auroville, Disclipline village ; 12°0.7′ N, 79°47.97′ E; 1 May–31 Jul. 2017; local collector leg.; NHME.

Paratypes INDIA • 1 ♀; Kerala, Kannur, Madayipara ; 12°01′ N, 75°15′ E; 8 Oct. 2021; P.G. Aswathi leg.; CCSERLC155; SERL .

NEPAL • 1 ♀; Rapati Province , Rihar; 27°54′ N, 82°20′ E; alt. 210 m; 1. Jun 2007; J. Weipert leg.; NHME .

Description

Female (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 8.1 mm.

HEAD. Frons with short and strong TFC, raised only medially and feebly angulate, without branches, with lateral ending 1.0 MOD far from eye ( Fig. 5C ); vertex and frons evenly deeply punctate-reticulate, with contiguous punctures and small punctures irregularly intermixed; area below TFC shallowly punctate; scapal basin medially largely impunctate, laterally with small, transversally aligned puncture; lateral punctures bearing long, whitish setae; clypeus irregularly punctulate, with small, shallow punctures; hardly convex apico-medially, short (subantennal distance 0.75 × MOD), with straight margin bordered by narrow, brown rim; malar space densely reticulate-punctulate, about 1.0 × MOD long; genal fovea present between eye and mandible insertion ( Fig. 5B ); genal carina strong and complete; mandible simple. Relative length of P:F1:F2:F3 = 1.0:1.2:0.7:0.7; F1 l/w = 3.7 (width taken basally); OOL = 1.4 × MOD; POL = 2.2 × MOD; MS = 1.0 × MOD.

MESOSOMA. Pronotal groove large and relatively shallow, extending to ¾ of pronotal length ( Fig. 5A ); fully developed sublateral carina; lateral pronotal margins, seen in dorsal view, distinctly concave medially; punctures on pronotum larger and denser medially, sparser laterally with shallow dots on interspaces; mesoscutum with large and denser punctures at base of median lobe, antero-medially with larger interspaces; interspaces with shallow dots; notauli formed deep, even and aligned punctures, slightly decreasing in diameter toward anterior margin; parapsidal line well visible; scutellum with spaced punctures, with shallow punctures and dots on interspaces; scutellar-metanotal suture deep and wide; metanotum shallowly micropunctate anteriorly, with large, deep, contiguous and foveate-reticulate punctures; posterior propodeal projections acute, divergent; mesopleuron ( Fig. 5B ) reticulate-punctate, episternal sulcus formed by large, irregular foveae, scrobal sulcus with larger foveae; wings unmodified, hyaline with brownish nervures.

METASOMA. Metasoma with large, even, round punctures, with small punctures in interspaces ( Fig. 5E ); punctures not distinctly geminate; T2 without median carina ( Fig. 5D ); T3 with median carina extending to tip of median tooth; T3 pre-pit bulge slightly convex; pit row distinct, with small, deep pits; post pit row densely micropunctate ( Fig. 5D ); apex of T3 with three elongate teeth ( Fig. 5E–F ), median tooth distinctly thickened in lateral view ( Fig. 5B ); intervals between median and lateral tooth deep and rounded; S2 black spots large, subtrapezoidal and medially fused ( Fig. 5F , 7D ).

COLOURATION. Body metallic green ( Fig. 5 ), with distinct blue patches in ocelli area, median lobe of mesoscutum, medially on scutellum and metanotum and laterally on T1, T2 and T3; with golden to red spots apico-laterally on T2; with a green-golden reflection on pre-pit bulge; greenish ventrally. Scape, pedicel and basal half of F1 metallic green, the rest of flagellum black. Tegula fully metallic. Legs metallic green, tarsi dark brown.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu), Nepal.

Remarks

The paratype was collected from Madayipara, Kannur, Kerala. Madayipara is a laterite plateau that spreads over 700 acres of land. The specimen was collected on a warm sunny day from crevices in a dry wall ( Fig. 6 ).

Differential diagnosis

Trichrysis poseidonia sp. nov. is immediately recognised by the unique shape of the elongated and thick teeth on the apical margin of T3 ( Fig. 5D–E ); the colour of the body is also diagnostic ( Fig. 5 ), as well as the shape of the black spots on S2 ( Figs 5F , 7D ).

Figures

Fig. 5. Trichrysis poseidonia sp. nov., ♀, holotype (NHME). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head, frontal view.D. Metasoma, postero-lateral view.E. Metasoma, dorsal view.F. Metasoma, ventral view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Fig. 6. Madayipara, Kannur, Kerala, type locality of Trichrysis poseidonia sp. nov. A. Madayipara, laterite plateau. B. Collecting place on dry wall.

Fig. 7. Species of Trichrysis Lichtenstein, 1876, shape of black spots on S2. A. T. inops (Gribodo, 1884). B. T. imperiosa (Smith, 1874). C. T. lusca (Fabricius, 1804). D. T. poseidonia sp. nov. E. T. lanka (Bingham, 1903). F. T. hexapholis Bohart, 1988 (modified from Bohart 1988). G. T. scioensis (Gribodo, 1879). H. T. tonkinensis (Mocsáry, 1914). I. T. triacantha (Mocsáry, 1889). J. T. excisifrons (Mocsáry, 1912).