Miscophus chrysis

Miscophus chrysis species group

KOHL (1894) described a completely green Miscophus female from Somalia under the name Miscophus chrysis. The species was never found later, until GADALLAH et al. (2021) published new records from southern Saudi Arabia, Jazan Province. The authors also described the previously unknown male. SIMON THOMAS (1995) described a second species from this species group from Senegal, Miscophus pseudochrysis, and gave recognition characters for both species.

C. Schmid-Egger found already in 1995 specimens from this species group in southern Israel, which agree with the description of M. pseudochrysis, apart from one male which is a true M. chrysis. Recognition of both species is difficult because of their similarity, but examination of male genitalia yielded a new recognition character and additionally confirmed the species status of M. pseudochrysis. The finding of M. pseudochrysis in Israel was unexpected because it is far from the type area. It let to the conclusion that M. pseudochrysis has a trans-saharian distribution (or disjunct distribution), whereas M. chrysis is an eastern Ethiopian species and reach southern Arabia and southern Israel in the north. Probably the species spreads along the border of the Red Sea to the north. It is remarquable that both species occur together near Iddan in southern Israel.

Identification can be done with the characters given in the key. See also the detailed descriptions of GADALLAH et al. (2021) for M. chrysis and of SIMON THOMAS (1995) of M. pseudochrysis.