Genus Spinolia Dahlbom, 1854

From: Kimsey L.S. & Bohart R.M., 1990 (1991) – The chrysidid wasps of the world. Oxford University Press, ix-652 pp.

Synonymy

Spinolia Dahlbom 1854:363. Type: Spinolia magnifica Dahlbom 1854:363 ( = Chrysis lamprsoma Förster 1853:311). Monobasic.
Gonochrysis Lichtenstein 1876:27. Type: Chrysis albipennis Dahlbom 1854:175 (=Chrysis unicolor Dahlbom 1831:32). Desig. Ashmead 1902:227.
Polyodontus Radoszkowski 1877:27. Type: Polyodontus stchurovskyi Radoszkowski 1877:25. Monobasic.
Achrysis Semenov 1892:486. Type: Chrysis unicolor Dahlbom 1831:32. Orig. desig. and monobasic.
Euchroeides Nurse 1904:23. Type: Euchroeides oblatus Nurse 1904:23. Monobasic.
Spinolaia Schulz 1906:154. Invalid emendation of Spinolia Dahlbom 1854:263.
Prospinolia Linsenmaier 1968:40. Type: Chrysis theresiae Buysson 1900:135. Orig. desig.

Generic diagnosis

Face covered with coarse contiguous punctation, without discrete polished medial stripe or medial zone of cross-ridging, without silver pubescence and without frontal carina; male (and sometimes female) frons with two large ovoid, flattened or somewhat concave striate areas; malar space short, less than l MOD; mandible with single broad subapical tooth; tongue long; F-I length between two and three times breadth; pronotal anterior declivity with four pits, lateral depression shallow and obsolescent; mesopleuron without episternal sulcus, scrobal sulcus large and deep, subtended by large projecting U-shaped carina; fore wing Rs long but bending slightly away from costal margin, leaving marginal cell broadly open; T-III with slight prepit swelling, pits small, subequal to punctures in size; female T-V with two apical lobes and several coarse apicolateral ridges; S-V with two large apical hooks or lobes; T-VI with sharp medial tooth.

Hosts

Hemipterochilus bembeciformis (Morawitz) (Eumenidae) has been reported as the host of dallatorreana (=insignis) (Linsenmaier 1959a).

Distribution

Spinolia is distributed throughout Europe, Africa north of the Sahara, and in the Middle East. However, the centre of diversity is in the southern USSR.

Discussion

The most distinctive features of Spinolia are the U-shaped projection on the lower mesopleuron, finely denticulate to dentate margin of T-III, dentate ovipositor segments, and the frons with two large round, flattened and usually striate areas; particularly in males. These characteristics immediately separate Spinolia from its closest relatives, Euchroeus and Pseudochrysis. Most Spinolia have the apical margin of T-III finely denticulate or crenulate, but stchurovskyi has multiple, large, irregular teeth. As in Pseudochrysis, the basic colour pattern is a dark blue to purple, as exemplified by algira. However, bright markings on the thoracic dorsum are common, and useful for distinguishing species. In dournovi the vertex and the entire dorsum of the thorax are coppery. In insignis the pronotum, scutum, and scutellum are coppery except for the area between the notauli. A similar pattern occurs in lamprosoma, although the markings are bright green and the scutum is dark except for green bands along the notauli. Spinolia stchurwskyi is quite differently coloured, the body is basically magenta or reddish purple, with bright green tints on the thorax. This genus was reviewed for Europe by Linsenmaier (1959a).

European species

1.  Spinolia dallatorreana (Mocsáry, 1896)
2.  Spinolia dallatorreana bicarenata (Linsenmaier, 1959)
3.  Spinolia dournovii (Radoszkowski, 1866)
4.  Spinolia hibera (Linsenmaier, 1987)
5.  Spinolia insignis (Lucas, 1849)
6.  Spinolia lamprosoma (Förster, 1853)
7.  Spinolia rogenhoferi (Mocsáry, 1889)
8.  Spinolia schmidti (Linsenmaier, 1987)
9.  Spinolia segusiana (Giraud, 1863)
10.  Spinolia unicolor (Dahlbom, 1831)

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