New records for the Indian cuckoo wasp fauna (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) with description of two new species and remarks on types of Smith and Cameron

Abstract

ABSTRACT A recent examination of type specimens and unidentified Indian cuckoo wasps deposited at the Natural History Museum (London) and at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History led to the discovery of: two new Indian species, Chrysis parviocula sp. n. (amneris species group) and Elampus bicolor sp. n.; a new synonymy, Chrysis quaerita Nurse, 1902 syn. n. of Chrysis dissimilis Dahlbom, 1854; an unnecessary replacement name, Hedychridium mocsaryi Rosa, 2021 for Hedychridium virescens (Mocsáry, 1914); and a misidentification of Chrysis obscura Smith, 1860 which is now excluded from the Indian fauna. Chrysis perfecta Cameron, 1897 is transferred to the viridissima group. New distributional records are given for Chrysis arkadyi Rosa et al. 2021, Chrysis bayadera du Buysson, 1896, Chrysis musa Semenov-Tian-Shanskij, 1954 and Praestochrysis palawanensis (Mocsáry, 1899). Eighteen types of Indian and Oriental species are illustrated for the first time. Types of six Oriental and Australian species described by Cameron, Smith, and Gray are illustrated and their status and depositories discussed. A lectotype is designated for Chrysis festina Smith, 1874. Type material of Stilbum princeps (Gray, 1832) is rediscovered 190 years after its description. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FE496B54-40BB-4049-BA71-058BEE5553AE