Chrysis bilqis Rosa, 2024

Chrysis bilqis Rosa , sp. nov. ( Fig. 7A–F)

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Material examined. Holotype ♀, Yemen: Lahj , III.-V.2002, Malaise trap, A. van Harten & A. Sallum ( RMNH).

Diagnosis. Chrysis bilqis sp. nov. belongs to the leachii group. Species in this group are very small to small (2.5–5.0 mm), usually brightly colored, with the apex of third metasomal tergum either edentate or with short median tooth, sometimes lanceolate; the transverse frontal carina is faint; the malar spaces are short and strongly convergent; the scapal basin is broadly microridged in both sexes; the black spots on the second sternum vary from medium (covering about half the segment length) to large (covering two-thirds of the segment length), and are subsquare or subrectangular, normally separated by a narrow metallic line. Aside from a few dark species endemic to the CanaryIslands, only two species have both sexes with a completely green to blue body colour and are distributed in Africa and Central Asia: Chrysis nilensis Linsenmaier, 1959 and C. infantula Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1967 (Rosa, 2021). Chrysis bilqis sp. nov. can be distinguished from the females of C. nilensis and C. infantula by the following characteristics: even punctation with polished interspaces becoming larger on the second half of the second tergum (vs. coarse, dense punctation, without distinct polished interspaces in the other two species, Fig. 8A); black spots on the second sternum entirely fused medially, laterally and basally, extending under the first sternum ( Fig. 7F) (in C. nilensis female, the spots are largely separated medially and basally, Fig. 8B; while in C. infantula the spots are separated by a narrow metallic line and are expanded below the first tergum).

Description. Holotype ♀ ( Fig. 7A–F). Body length: 4.7 mm.

Head. Frons between scapal basin and anterior ocellus with dense, polygonal, large (about 0.6–0.7 × MOD) and contiguous punctures, without polished interspaces; punctures arranged radially around anterior ocellus with their size regularly decreasing towards ocellus; head posterior to ocelli with smaller punctures; impunctate postero-laterally to ocelli; transverse frontal carina faint; scapal basin deep, with median sharp wrinkles; face between scapal basin and eye margin with large, contiguous punctures like those on frons ( Fig. 7B); genal carina straight, sharp, fully developed from temples to mandibular insertion; malar spaces relatively long (1.4 × MOD); subantennal space short, 0.6 × MOD; apex of clypeus with thin brown rim. OOL 1.9 × MOD; POL 2.8 × MOD; MS 1.4 × MOD; relative length of P: F1: F2: F3 = 1.0: 1.3: 0.8: 0.7.

Mesosoma. Medial pronotal line large and elongate, reaching two-thirds of pronotal length; pronotum as long as mesoscutellum, with deep, large punctures, as large as those on frons, rounded and with narrow, polished interspaces; mesoscutum with double punctation, larger punctures on median area; punctures separated by polished interspaces up to 1 puncture diameter; notauli formed by deep, subrectangular foveae, larger at base, their width smaller than larger adjacent punctures; parapsidal signum as deep line; mesoscutellum with shallow punctures, slightly smaller than those on mesoscutum with wider interspaces; scutellar-metanotal suture deep; metanotum antero-medially with large and deep fovea ( Fig. 7C); metanotal punctures denser, without large, polished interspaces; posterior propodeal projections slightly divergent; mesopleuron with punctures similar to those at sides of propodeum; episternal sulcus formed by row of round to subsquare foveae, partially confluent with other punctures.

Metasoma. First tergum densely micropunctate on interspaces; punctures larger dorsally, distinctly smaller and aligned along apical margin ( Fig. 7D); largest punctures smaller than those on mesoscutellum; antero-median concavity deep and wide; second tergum with dense, double punctation on disc, with small punctures on interspaces; even, large interspaces between punctures, up to 1 puncture diameter, on remaining tergum, with only scattered small punctures on interspaces; median longitudinal carina indicated by punctate line, composed by small punctures; punctation on third tergum denser, double; apical area without slight pre pit swelling; pits of pit row large, deep, as large as 2–3 puncture diameters ( Fig. 7E); apical margin with blunt median tooth ( Fig. 7E); apico-median margin bordered by thin, hyaline rim; black spots on second sternum fused medially, forming subrectangular black stripe ( Fig. 7F).

Colour. Body entirely blue; scape, pedicel and first flagellomere metallic blue, remaining flagellomeres brown; tegula metallic blue; wings hyaline with brown nervures; legs blue on femur and outer tibia, tarsi brown; sterna metallic blue.

Vestiture. Head and mesosoma with short, whitish setae (up to 1 × MOD); metasoma laterally and posteriorly with long, erected setae, as long as 2 × MOD. Femora and tibiae with scattered, elongate and whitish setae, as long as 2 × MOD ( Fig. 7F).

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epiteth belqis is dedicated to Belqis, the Yemenite and Islamic name for the Queen of Sheba, who has become the subject of one of the most widespread and fertile cycles of legends in Asia and Africa. Sheba was the ancient South Arabian kingdom of Saba’a.

Distribution. Yemen.