New findings of cuckoo wasps for Yemen with nomenclatural changes and review of the Arabian hexadentate species of the genus Chrysis Linnaeus, 1761 (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae)

Three species of the genus Chrysis Linnaeus, 1761 (Chrysididae Latreille, 1802) new for Yemen were discovered, namely C. lyncea Fabricius, 1775, C. oxyacantha Mocsáry, 1913 and C. smithii Gribodo, 1879, the latter two so far known for the Afrotropical region only. The finding of C. smithii allows us to discuss some previously proposed synonymies in four hexadentate groups of Afrotropical and Arabian species in the heymonsi, lyncea, oculata and smaragdula species-groups. We hereby propose two new synonymies for C. canaliculata (Brullé, 1846) n. syn. of C. stilboides Spinola, 1838 (oculata group) and C. gabonensis Mocsáry, 1889 n. syn. of C. heymonsi Bischoff, 1910 (heymonsi group). During the present study, the type of C. simillima (Gribodo, 1879) stat. resurr. was found to be preserved in the Natural History Museum in London and it is here reinstated as valid species in the oculata group. We also resurrect Chrysis smithii Gribodo, 1879 stat. resurr. (synonym of C. simillima sensu auctorum) within the lyncea group, as well as C. caroli du Buysson, 1907 stat. resurr. and C. ­rubroviolacea Mocsáry, 1913 stat. resurr. both previously synonymised with C. jousseaumei du Buysson, 1898 in the smaragdula group. As a result of these changes, we propose a new key for the hexadentate species of the genus Chrysis Linnaeus, 1761 of the Arabian Peninsula.