Masona neon Dal Pos & Martens, 2024

Pos, Davide Dal, Broad, Gavin R. & Martens, Abigail P., 2024, Small jewels: two new species of the rare genus Masona van Achterberg (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonoidea, Braconidae), with a catalogue of world species and comments on the peculiar morphology of the genus, European Journal of Taxonomy 925 (1), pp. 135-160 : 143-146

Masona neon Dal Pos & Martens sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:461CAE8C-50C0-468D-A387-A2659E54148D

Figs 3 , 5 , 6B

Differential diagnosis

Masona neon sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from all the other species of the genus by the following morphological features: (1) scutellum present (absent in M. infuscata , M. prognatha , M. similis and M. wow sp. nov.); (2) yellow color (brown in M. bulbofemoralis ); (3) propodeum not inflated (bulbous in M. popeye ); (4) a long apical flagellomere, 5 × as long as wide (less than 2 × as long as wide in M. bulbofemoralis ); (5) pronotum without a projecting flange (flange present in M. popeye ).

Etymology

The species is dedicated to the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) project (https://www.neonscience.org/), which monitors ecosystems across the USA. This new species was collected as bycatch of a larger pitfall trap project used to monitor Carabidae ( Coleoptera ). Hopefully, it will serve as an incentive to strengthen collaboration between different disciplines (e.g., ecology and taxonomy), and to increase awareness of the importance of biodiversity monitoring, especially in this period of dire biodiversity crisis. Taxonomy is still active, functional, and crucial for the study of biodiversity. The specific epithet ʻ neon ʼ is a noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA • ♀; “[White label] USA: Puerto Rico / Guanica Forest , plot 010 / 17.972442°, -66.87.13118 / 20.VII.2020 – mounted from / GUAN 010.20200720.IB.01 // [Light green label] NEON–-IV / 00000440 // [Red label] HOLOTYPE / Masona / neon / Dal Pos & Martens, des. 2023”; ASUHIC. The specimen is in good condition, missing only the entire left fore leg.

Description

Female

MEASUREMENT. Body length: 1.3 mm.

HEAD. Prognathous, 1.2 × as long as wide, overall smooth and shiny; mandibles strongly twisted and blade-like; clypeus distinct, clearly separated form face, with small tentorial pits; face extremely reduced; occipital carina strong dorsally, gradually dissipating laterally; antenna with 11 flagellomeres, all of which longer than wide, with apical flagellomere 5 × as long as medially wide; scape and pedicel about as long as wide; area between antennal sockets not elevated.

MESOSOMA.Overall smooth and shiny; 2.2× as long as maximally wide. Pronotum shorter than mesoscutum and without a well-developed, lamelliform carina anteriorly; antescutal depression present. Propleuron convex ventrally, its posterior margin projecting into a point between fore coxae. Mesoscutum 0.8× as long as wide, notauli absent. Scutellum distinct, approximately 6.0× as wide as long medially. Mesopleuron smooth and shiny, with sternaulus distinct and reaching mid coxa; postpectal carina complete. Scutellum present. Metanotum indistinct. Propodeum smooth and shiny, widest at midlength, wider than mesoscutum, slightly convex (almost flat) in lateral view, and produced into two blunt apophyses posteriorly; propodeal spiracle round. Metapleuron smooth and shiny, with juxtacoxal carina distinct.

LEGS. Femora extremely expanded, bulbous. Tibiae gradually expanded.

WINGS. Absent.

METASOMA. Overall smooth and shiny. T1 medio-anteriorly concave, with developed dorso-lateral carinae, without laterope, narrow anteriorly, 0.9× as long as posteriorly wide; T1 spiracle situated in anterior 0.3 of segment. T2 laterally sclerotized, with a distinct articulation with T3. T1–T4 clearly discernible, T5–T8 retracted and indiscernible. Ovipositor barely protruding beyond apex of metasoma, strongly upcurved.

COLORATION. Entire body yellowish-white.

Male

Unknown.

Host

Unknown.

Distribution

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Puerto Rico ( Fig. 3 ).

Remarks

The specimen was collected by means of a pitfall trap. The genus Masona has been previously recorded from the Caribbean ( Dominican Republic) based on the fossil species Masona pyriceps van Achterberg, 2001 . However, M. neon sp. nov. marks the first record of an extant species for the area, and it is the first record of the genus from the island of Puerto Rico.

Figures

Fig. 3. Distribution of Masona van Achterberg, 1995, in the southeastern USA.

Fig. 5. Masona neon Dal Pos & Martens sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (ASUHIC). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view.

Fig. 6. Head and pronotum, lateral view. A. Masona popeye Quicke & Chaul, 2019, holotype, ♀ (CELC). B. Masona neon Dal Pos & Martens sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (ASUHIC). Arrows indicates the projecting flange of the pronotum.