Chrysura hirsuta, also known as the Northern Osmia ruby-tailed wasp, is a species of parasitic cuckoo wasp within the family Chrysididae.
| Chrysura hirsuta | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Chrysididae |
| Genus: | Chrysura |
| Species: | C. hirsuta
|
| Binomial name | |
| Chrysura hirsuta Gerstäcker,1869
| |
Description
editChrysura hirsuta can range in length from 7 to 11 mm long. The head and mesosoma of the wasp are blue or dark green in colour, with a possible presence of golden green reflection. The metasoma of the wasp however is golden red or in rare circumstances golden green in colour. The mandibles possess a sizeable subapical tooth and the scutellum of the metathorax is flat. The flight period of C. hirsuta is between April and July.[1] This species is believed to reproduce via thelytokous parthenogenesis, due to a higher female to male sex ratio.[2]
Distribution
editChrysura hirsuta can be found within the Trans-Palearctic region from Western Europe through to East Asia. The species has been recorded in the countries and territories of: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Corsica, China, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Slovakia, Switzerland, Poland and the United Kingdom.[3][1][4]
C. hirsuta has also been found living within the Pyrenees mountain range.[3]
Habitat
editChrysura hirsuta can be found living in a variety of habitats including mountains,[3] meadows, woodlands and glades.[1] Due to being a parasitic species, their populations can only survive in proximity to a population of their mason bee host species. C. hirsuta are often found flying in close proximity to drystone walls,[3] rocky outcrops and dead wood,[1] which are places their host species are known to build their nests.
Host species
editThe following species are known to be hosts for the Northern Osmia ruby-tailed wasp.[1][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Paukkunen, Berg, Soon, Ødegaard, Rosa, Juho, Alexander, Villu, Frode, Paolo (2015-12-23). "An illustrated key to the cuckoo wasps (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) of the Nordic and Baltic countries, with description of a new species". ZooKeys (548): 1–116. doi:10.3897/zookeys.548.6164. PMC 4714362. PMID 26798322. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Yokoi, Hirooka, Terada, Sugimoto, Tamaru, Satoh, Kandori, Tomoyuki, Takuto, Takeshi, Shusaku, Mayumi, Sachiko, Ikuo (2011-11-23). "Strongly biased sex ratio in cuckoo wasp Chrysura hirsuta (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae), a parasitoid of the mason bee Osmia orientalis". Entomological Science. 15 (2): 250–252. doi:10.1111/j.1479-8298.2011.00500.x. S2CID 82741255. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d "Chrysura hirsuta (Gerstäcker,1869)". Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS). 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
- ^ "Chrysura hirsuta (Gerstaecker, 1869)". Fauna Europaea. 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
- ^ "Chrysura hirsuta (Gerstäcker, 1869)". Artsdatabanken (in Norwegian). 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2022-08-22.