Masona bulbofemoralis van Achterberg, 1995

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 : 139-140

Masona bulbofemoralis van Achterberg, 1995

Figs 1 , 2B , 3

Masona bulbofemoralis van Achterberg, 1995: 98–99 (description, key, distribution, images).

Masona bulbofemoralis – Yu et al. 2016 (catalogue). — Quicke et al. 2019a: 592 (comments); 2019b: appendix S1 (list).

Differential diagnosis

Masona bulbofemoralis 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) larger size, about 1.8 mm; (3) brown color ( M. neon sp. nov. and M. popeye are completely yellow); (4) non-bulbous propodeum (strongly bulbous in M. popeye ); (5) occipital carina foveolate (simple in all the other species of the genus).

Original type series

Holotype (by original designation)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA • ♀; Georgia, Decatur County; 22 Jun. 1953; P.B. Kannowski leg.; EMUS.

Material examined

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA • 1 ♀; Florida, Orange Co., Hal Scott Regional Preserve , Cypress swamp; 28.502818° N, 81.134632° W; 5–26 Jul. 2022; D. Dal Pos and A. Pandolfi leg.; D. Dal Pos det., 2022; Malaise trap; DDPC .

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Georgia ( van Achterberg 1995); Florida (new record) ( Fig. 3 ).

Remarks

The specimen reported above is a new record for Florida, expanding the distribution of the species further south, and it is the first specimen recorded since the holotype was collected nearly 70 years ago.

The specimen was collected via Malaise trap at the ecotone between a cypress dome forested wetland and a palm flat wood. During the wet season (June–September), the area is frequently inundated with water. The Malaise trap was left in situ for an entire year (August 2021 – August 2022) but only a single specimen of M. bulbofemoralis was collected. The collecting period (5–26 June) matches the month of the holotype collection (22 June 1953).

According to Quicke et al. (2019a), Masona popeye Quicke & Chaul, 2019 , is the largest species of Masona currently described, having a body length of 2.0 mm. However, the specimen of Masona bulbofemoralis here recorded measures 2.0 mm too.

Figures

Fig. 1. Masona bulbofemoralis van Achterberg, 1995, ♀ (DDPC). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view.

Fig. 2. Propodeum, lateral view. A. Masona popeye Quicke & Chaul, 2019, holotype, ♀ (CELC). B. Masona bulbofemoralis van Achterberg, 1995, ♀ (DDPC).

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