''Chrysis viridula'' is a Western Palearctic species of

cuckoo wasp Commonly known as cuckoo wasps or emerald wasps, the hymenopteran family Chrysididae is a very large cosmopolitan group (over 3000 described species) of parasitoid or kleptoparasitic wasps, often highly sculptured, with brilliant metallic colors ...

, first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1761. ''Chrysis viridula'' is included in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' Chrysis'', and the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Chrysididae Commonly known as cuckoo wasps or emerald wasps, the hymenopteran family Chrysididae is a very large cosmopolitan group (over 3000 described species) of parasitoid or kleptoparasitic wasps, often highly sculptured, with brilliant metallic colors ...

(the cuckoo wasps). It is a parasitoid of a number of species of eumenid wasp, mainly those in the genus ''

Odynerus ''Odynerus'' is a primarily Holarctic genus of potter wasps. The name of this genus has been widely used as a root to construct many other genus-level names for potter wasps with non-petiolated metasoma, such as ''Euodynerus'', ''Acarodynerus'', ...

''.

Distribution

It is found throughout southern England and the Channel Islands, and north to northeast Yorkshire. In Wales, it is restricted to coastal areas only and has not been found in Scotland or Ireland. It is also found in many parts of mainland Europe (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary and Romania) and extending eastwards to the Caucasus, and southwards to North Africa.

Appearance

''Chrysis viridula'' has a total length of about 6 to 9 millimeters. The color of the head ranges from green to turquoise, and the thorax has a flame-like color. The main body of the insect has also been described to be colorful.

Genetics

In Hymenoptera, the super-families of Ichnuemonidae and Chrysididae have the greatest number of chromosomes, each corresponding to about n=21. Thus, ''Chrysis viridula'' has a chromosome count which is equal to about 42 in its karyotype.

Biology

In Britain ''Chrysis viridula'' is a

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

of the eumenids ''

Odynerus spinipes ''Odynerus spinipes'', the spiny mason wasp, is a species of potter wasp from western Europe. It is the type species of the genus '' Odynerus'', being first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Di ...

'' and '' Odynerus melanocephalus'', it has a flight period of June to August but has been recorded a month either side of this. The adults feed on a variety of flowers but mainly on umbellifers. It is normally found in the vicinity of the host wasps' nest tunnels on hard banks of sand, earth or clay, and once on the wall of a church. The females lay eggs in the brood cells of the host wasps as the host larva is preparing to pupate and is creating its cocoon, or just after the cocoon has been completed. The female ''C. viridula'' can open the host cocoons to oviposit within them. When the larval ''C. viridula'' hatches its eats the host larva. On the mainland of Europe other known hosts include ''

Odynerus reniformis ''Odynerus'' is a primarily Holarctic genus of potter wasps. The name of this genus has been widely used as a root to construct many other genus-level names for potter wasps with non-petiolated metasoma, such as ''Euodynerus'', ''Acarodynerus'', ...

'', ''

Ancistrocerus parietum ''Ancistrocerus parietum'' is a species of insects belonging to the family Vespidae. It is native to Europe and North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemispher ...

'' and '' Odynerus alpinus'' and in Italy its distribution extends to an altitude of . This species has a thick

exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...

which protects it from the defensive stinging attacks of the host females, to enhance this defence the female ''C. viridula'' has a concave underside and it can curl itself into a defensive ball. If she finds an undefended nest she will reverse down the nest chimney to lay her egg on the host wasp's egg. The host wasp does not normally detect the cuckoo wasp egg and seals the nest up for the winter for the new adult parasitoid to emerge in the following summer.

Gallery

File:Flammegullkvefs (Chrysis viridula).jpg File:Chrysis viridula1.jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1009812 Chrysidinae Insects described in 1761 Hymenoptera of Europe Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus