Chrysis longula Abeille de Perrin,1879
Description and notes
Disagreement exists regarding the definition of this name. Kunz (1994) treats this species as a variety of C. ignita. Identification keys are given in Morgan (1984). General biology is given in Morgan (1984) and Falk (1991). Compared with other species of Chrysis, this species is usually relatively large, being 10 mm or more in body length. It can be distinguished from the other large species, C. pseudobrevitarsis, in having very large punctures on the base of the second tergum. These punctures are as large as those on the mesoscutum and are so close together that the individual punctures are separated by ridges.
Distribution
Sparingly recorded from Devon to Kent, north to Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Suffolk, with an outlying old record from Aberdeenshire.
Occurs in north and central Europe (including Norway, Sweden, Finland,The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary).
Status (in Britain only)
Listed as Rare (RDB3) in Shirt (1987) and by Falk (1991).
Habitat
Found in the habitats of its host and particularly at old walls. Mainly occurring at coastal sites, but it has been found inland, most recently in Moreton in 1957.
Flight period
May to August.
Flowers visited
No specific information found.
Parasites
No specific information found.
Parasitic biology
Its hosts are the aerial-nesting mason wasps, Ancistrocerus antilope (see Atlas part 3, page 54), and A. parietinus (see Atlas part 2, page 56; Morgan, 1984).