| The Chrysididae are known by various common names, such as jewel wasps, emerald wasps, or ruby wasps; all these names refer to their jewel-like colors, which may easily outdo those of various gems. They also have an alternative name, namely cuckoo wasps, which refers to their kleptoparasitic habits. They lay one (or sometimes a few) egg(s) in the nest of their host. The hatched larva of some species waits with commencing its own development till the host larva's development is almost completed; the chrysid larva then feeds on the host larva. These species are thus ectoparasitoids. Alternatively, the hatched chrysid larva kills the egg or young larva of the host and then feeds on the prey that was provisioned by the host. Species with this strategy are kleptoparasites, although one could also say they are first parasitoids and after having killed the host larva become kleptoparasites. Chrysids are kleptoparasites of solitary wasps but bees have also been recorded as hosts. If a chrysid parasitizes on bees, it seems likely that it will be a parasitoid, since pollen are a completely different resource than the various insects that solitary wasps provide their larva with. The photos below show a selection of kleptoparasitic chrysids with some of their (possible) hosts. |
Chrysid Hosts |
| Chrysis bicolor |
| Authority | : | Lepeletier, 1806 |
| Deutsch | : | Zweifarbige Zackengoldwespe |
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| Bentveld, the Netherlands; 2 June 2011. |
| Tachysphex nitidus |
| Authority | : | (Spinola, 1805) |
| Deutsch | : | Prächtiger Heuschreckenjäger |
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| Bentveld, the Netherlands; 26 May 2012. |
| T. pompiliformis |
| Authority | : | (Panzer, 1805) |
| Deutsch | : | Wegwespen-Heuschreckenjäger |
 |
| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 30 June 2007. |
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Chrysis ignita s.l. |
| Authority | : | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Deutsch | : | Feuer-Zackengoldwespe |
 |
| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 28 May 2011. |
|
Ancistrocerus spec. |
 |
| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 9 August 2009. |
|
Symmorphus cf. bifasciatus |
| Authority | : | (Linnaeus, 1761) |
| Deutsch | : | Zweibindige Stängelwespe |
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| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 4 September 2010. |
| Chrysis scutellaris |
| Authority | : | Fabricius, 1794 |
| Deutsch | : | Gefleckte Zackengoldwespe |
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| Miers (Lot), France; 30 July 2012. |
| Eumenes spec. |
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| Blaricum, the Netherlands; 14 August 2010. |
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Hedychrium ardens |
 |
| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 7 July 2007. |
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Oxybelus bipunctatus |
| Authority | : | Olivier, 1812 |
| Deutsch | : | Zweipunkt-Fliegenspießwespe |
 |
| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 15 June 2007. |
|
Tachysphex pompiliformis |
| Authority | : | (Panzer, 1805) |
| Deutsch | : | Wegwespen-Heuschreckenjäger |
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| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 30 June 2007. |
| Hedychrum nobile |
| Authority | : | (Scopoli, 1763) |
| Deutsch | : | Prächtige Sandgoldwespe |
 |
| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 1 August 2009. |
| Cerceris arenaria |
| Authority | : | (Linné, 1758) |
| Nederlands | : | Snuittorrendoder |
| Deutsch | : | Sand-Knotenwespe |
 |
| Drents-Friese Woud, the Netherlands; 2 August 2008. |
| Hedychrum rutilans |
| Authority | : | Dahlbom, 1854 |
| Deutsch | : | Bienenwolf-Sandgoldwespe |
 |
| Blaricum, the Netherlands; 9 July 2007. |
| Philanthus triangulum |
| Authority | : | (Fabricius, 1775) |
| Nederlands | : | Bijenwolf |
| Deutsch | : | Garten-Bienenwolf |
 |
| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 15 June 2007. |
| Holopyga cf. chrysonota |
| Authority | : | (Förster, 1853) |
| Deutsch | : | Goldrücken-Winkelgoldwespe |
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| Padirac (Lot), France; 28 July 2012. |
| Tachysphex nitidus |
| Authority | : | (Spinola, 1805) |
| Deutsch | : | Prächtiger Heuschreckenjäger |
|
| A'damse Waterleidingduinen, the Netherlands; 26 May 2012. |
| Holopyga generosa |
| Authority | : | Förster, 1853 |
| Deutsch | : | Edel-Winkelgoldwespe |
 |
| Wellerlooi, the Netherlands; 9 June 2007. |
| Astata boops |
| Authority | : | (Schrank, 1781) |
| Nederlands | : | Grote wantsendoder |
| Deutsch | : | Großäugiger Bodenwanzenjäger |
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| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 19 June 2007. |
| Parnopes grandior |
| Authority | : | (Pallas, 1771) |
| Deutsch | : | Rote Riesengoldwespe |
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| Göksü delta (Mersin), Türkiye; 16 June 2011. |
| Bembix olivacea |
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| Asmadere (Batman), Türkiye; 14 June 2010. |
| Bembix oculata |
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| Karadere (Muğla), Türkiye; 11 June 2009. |
| Trichrysis cyanea |
| Authority | : | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Deutsch | : | Blaugrüne Dreizahngoldwespe |
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| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 11 July 2010. |
| Trypoxylon spec. |
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| Amstelveen, the Netherlands; 22 May 2009. |