Chrysidids differ from other Aculeate wasps (stinging Hymenoptera) in their reduction of the number of external body segments, the presence of 11 antennal articles, and wing veins enclosing 5 cells. Chrysis ignita is the most common of a group of very similar ruby-tailed wasps. The head and thorax range from a shiny green to blue, sometimes layered with a golden sheen. The abdomen, a deep ruby color, is its most distinctive feature. The exoskeleton sculpture appears textured, like a golf ball, with dimples, projections, crests, and holes ranging from micrometric to millimetric in size.