Montichneumon immortalibestia Chen & Kikuchi, 2025

Montichneumon immortalibestia Chen & Kikuchi gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7FD7584D-9E45-4017-B3BE-A23555A8EDB6

Figs 2–6 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig ; Table 2

Diagnosis

See genus.

Etymology

The specific name ‘ immortalibestia ’ is derived from the Latin words ‘ immortali- ’ (‘immortal’) plus ‘ bestia ’ (‘beast’), meaning ‘the undying beast’. The name refers to the superhero character ‘Wolverine’ from the Marvel Comics series ‘X-Men’, who has the abilities of regeneration and beast-like retractable metal claws, as the yellow and black color pattern of this species resembles the costume of this character. Specific name is a noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype

TAIWAN • ♀; Miaoli County, Tai’an Township, Shei-Pa National Park, Sian campground of Mt Danan (site SBM11 View Materials ); 24°21′40.3″ N, 121°9′48.59″ E; elev. 3090 m; 27 Jun.–25 Aug. 2021; Jung-Chang Chen, Kuang-Yao Chen, Li-Jen Chang, Ta-Hsiang Li and Hung-Yang Shen leg.; Malaise trap; GenBank nos: PQ361201 ( COI), PQ361981 (28S); NMNS ENT 8951-22 View Materials ( SP0026 ). GoogleMaps

Paratypes

TAIWAN • 1 ♀; Miaoli County, Tai’an Township, Shei-Pa National Park, Xishishan forest road 9.0 K; 24°19′1.89″ N, 121°3′36.28″ E; elev. 2630 m; 16 Nov. 2021 – 21 Apr. 2022; Jung-Chang Chen, Kuang-Yao Chen, Li-Jen Chang, Ta-Hsiang Li and Hung-Yang Shen leg.; Malaise trap; GenBank nos: PQ361202 ( COI); NMNS ENT 8951-23 View Materials ( SP0072 ) GoogleMaps • 1 ♀; Nantou County, Ren'ai Township, Nanhuashan (= Nenggao Shan North Peak ); 6 May 1992; Yang and Huang leg.; sweeping; NMNS ENT 1447-2018 View Materials • 1 ♂; Taichung City, Heping District, Eastern peak of Mt Syueshan –369 Cabin ; elev. 3000–3200 m; 26–27 Aug. 2021; Chi-Ting Hsu leg.; sweeping; GenBank nos: PQ361203 ( COI); NCHU SP0079 View Materials .

Description

Measurements are based on two females and one male.

Female HEAD ( Fig. 3B–D View Fig ). Head in dorsal view 1.8–2.0 (2.0) × as wide as long; frons polished and smooth; OD = 0.15–0.17 (0.17) mm; POL/OD = 1.1–1.2 (1.1); OOL/OD = 1.3–1.4 (1.3); ocellar area rugose-punctate; vertex coarsely punctate with short setae anterior to mid ocellus, finely coriaceous without setae lateral to lateral ocelli; temple evenly punctate with long black setae; occipital carina strong and complete, meeting hypostomal carina above mandible base by 0.6 (0.6) × basal mandible width; face 1.8–2.0 (1.8)× as wide as high, polished and strongly punctate with punctures dense laterally (distance between punctures 0.5– 1.0× puncture diameter) and sparse medially (distance between punctures 1.4–1.6× puncture diameter), convex in lateral view; clypeus 2.7 (2.7) ×as wide as high, polished and sparsely punctate with distance between punctures 2.4–2.8 × puncture diameter, weakly and finely coriaceous medially, with ventral margin truncate, weakly convex in lateral view; labrum exposed, rounded ventrally with row of long setae; malar space long, 1.4–1.5 (1.4)× as long as basal mandible width, finely coriaceous with even and strong punctures; gena wide, 0.8–0.9 (0.8)× as wide as maximum width of eye in lateral view, sparsely punctate with sparse setae; mandible bidentate and evenly narrowed to apex (almost parallel-sided), with upper tooth longer than lower tooth; flagellum with 41–42 segments, first flagellomere 3.1–3.7 (3.1) × as long as wide, 1.4 (1.4)× as long as second flagellomere, second flagellomere 2.2–2.8 (2.2) × as long as wide.

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 3A, E–F View Fig ). Pronotum evenly and strongly punctate, with rugose striae ventro-anteriorly and transverse groove dorsally; epomia weak; mesoscutum 1.1–1.3 (1.3) ×as long as wide, polished and evenly punctate; notaulus indistinct, present on about anterior half; scutellum 0.9–1.0 (1.0) ×as long as wide, flat in lateral profile, polished and sparsely punctate (distance between punctures 3.8–5.0× puncture diameter), with lateral carina absent; metanotum polished and sparsely punctate; mesopleuron polished and evenly punctate, with dorsal half sparsely punctate (distance between punctures 3.0–6.0 × puncture diameter), dorso-anterior and ventro-posterior corners rugose; episternal scrobe distinct, mesopleural sulcus absent, epicnemial carina complete and distinct, strongly curved ventrally and 0.9× as high as anterior margin of mesopleuron; metapleuron coarsely punctate and rugose in ventro-posterior corner, with juxtacoxal carina present in anterior half, submetapleural carina complete; propodeal spiracle 3.9–4.2 (3.9)× as long as wide; propodeum with area basalis, area superomedia, and area petiolaris rugose, other area rugose-punctate; area superomedia long, about 1.3× as long as its maximum width; area dentipara with short and indistinct tooth posteriorly; lateromedian longitudinal carina and lateral longitudinal carina complete, anterior transverse carina present medially and absent laterally, posterior transverse carina present but indistinct laterally.

LEGS ( Fig. 2 View Fig ). Legs evenly punctate with setae; fore femur 3.6–3.8 (3.6)× as long as wide; hind femur 4.9–5.4 (5.4) × as long as wide, 0.8 (0.8)× as long as hind tibia; hind first tarsomere 9.1–9.9 (9.1)× as long as wide, 2.0–2.1 (2.0) × as long as second tarsomere.

WINGS ( Fig. 4A View Fig ). Fore wing length 10.0–10.6 (10.6) mm, 3.7–3.8 (3.8)× as long as wide; areolet truncate and tapered anteriorly, 2rs-m 0.9–1.0 (1.0) × as long as 3rs-m, anterior margin of areolet 0.4–0.5 (0.4) × as long as 2rs-m; 1/M 1.1–1.2 (1.2) × as long as 2/M; 1cu-a straight and inclivous, distad M&RS by 0.3–0.4 (0.3)× its length. Hind wing with 2–3 basal hamuli and 9–12 distal hamuli; NI = 4.4–4.5 (4.4).

METASOMA ( Figs 3F–G View Fig , 4C–D View Fig ). Tergites and sternites polished; T1 2.2–2.5 (2.5) × as long as its maximum width, 2.7–2.9 (2.9) × as long as its posterior width, 0.9 (0.9)× as long as T2; postpetiole smooth, sparsely and minutely punctate laterally; spiracles of T1 located at about 0.7 of length of tergite; T2 1.3–1.4 (1.4)× as long as its posterior width, evenly and minutely punctate; gastrocoelus indistinct, narrow and long, interval between gastrocoeli about 5.6× gastrocoelus width; thyridium indistinct and transverse, narrower than interval between thyridia; T3 1.0 (1.0) × as long as its posterior width; tergites after T2 evenly (sparsely) and minutely punctate; sternites weakly sclerotized and finely coriaceous; S2 and S3 separated by median unsclerotized area, longitudinally folded, laterosclerites narrow, elongate and tapered anteriorly (S2) and rectangular (S3), S4–S6 completely sclerotized; laterosternites present on S2– S5; S6 (hypopygium) tapered and truncate on posterior margin; metasoma with its apex amblypygous; ovipositor sheath with exposed part 0.8–1.0 (1.0)× as long as wide.

COLORATION ( Figs 2–4 View Fig View Fig View Fig ). Head mainly yellow; ocellar area, medial longitudinal line of temple, frons, tentorial pit, mandibular teeth, and occiput black; antenna black, except flagellomeres 1–4 tinged with reddish brown, ventral surface of scape and flagellomeres 5–14 yellow. Mesosoma mainly yellow; dorsal groove of pronotum, margins, antero-lateral corner, and postero-lateral sides of mesoscutum, ventro-lateral margin of scutellum, epicnemium, ventro-posterior corner and transverse line on anterodorsal corner of mesopleuron, upper division of metapleuron (except one circular marking), anterior and ventral margins of metapleuron, area basalis, area superomedia, and area petiolaris of propodeum black; two linear longitudinal markings on lateral lobes of mesoscutum reddish brown. Wing hyaline tinged with yellowish brown, veins blackish brown, pterostigma yellowish brown. Legs mainly yellow; small markings on fore and mid first trochanters dorsal-basally, basal surface of hind coxa, hind trochanters, basal and apical 1/10 of hind femur black, tarsi yellow tinged with reddish brown. Metasoma mainly yellow; dorsal and ventral surfaces of T1 petiole and two connected markings in anterior 3/10 to anterior half of all tergites black; latero-anterior sides of T1 tinged with reddish brown.

Male

General structures similar to female.

HEAD ( Fig. 5A–B View Fig ). Head in dorsal view 2.0× as wide as long; OD = 0.15 mm; POL/OD = 1.6; OOL/ OD = 1.5; face 1.6 × as wide as long; clypeus 2.8 × as wide as long; malar space 1.1 × as long as basal mandible width; occipital carina meeting hypostomal carina above mandibular base by 0.5 × basal mandible width; gena 0.8 × as wide as maximum width of eye in lateral view; flagellum with 42–43 segments, with tyloids on outer surface of segments 9–19, each segment convex on inner side; first flagellomere 2.9 × as long as wide, 1.4 × as long as second flagellomere; second flagellomere 2.0× as long as wide.

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 5C View Fig ). Mesoscutum 1.3 × as long as wide; scutellum 1.3 × as long as wide; propodeal spiracle 3.5×as long as wide.

WINGS. Fore wing length 10.2 mm, 3.7× as long as wide; 2rs-m 1.1× as long as 3rs-m, anterior margin of areolet 0.4× as long as 2rs-m; 1/M 1.1 × as long as 2/M; 1cu-a distad M&RS by 0.3× its length. Hind wing with 2–3 basal hamuli and 11–12 distal hamuli; NI = 5.1.

LEGS. Fore femur 3.9 × as long as wide; hind femur 6.9 × as long as wide, 0.8 × as long as hind tibia; hind first tarsomere 11.2 × as long as wide, 1.9 × as long as second tarsomere.

METASOMA ( Fig. 5D–G View Fig ). T1 2.5 × as long as its maximum width, 2.9× as long as its posterior width, 0.9× as long as T2; T2 1.5 × as long as its posterior width; T3 1.1× as long as its posterior width. Gonostyle short, tapered, roundly pointed, covered with long setae apically; gonossiculus long and ventrally curved, strongly tapered and pointed in ventro-apical corner, rounded in dorso-apical corner; cuspis large, rounded apically; volsella covered with patch of slender setae; penisvalva with valviceps long, strongly and ventrally curved and narrowed at middle, apex of valviceps rounded in profile, valvura straight and short, about 0.5 × as long as valviceps; abdominal sternum 9 (hypopygium) strongly and triangularly convex on apical margin, without any additional structure.

COLORATION ( Fig. 5A–D View Fig ). Similar to female except head in dorsal view with two black markings postero-laterally and one broad longitudinal black stripe medially; mesoscutum with lateral lobes entirely black and medial lobe black anteriorly with one short longitudinal linear black marking; antenna black with flagellomeres 1–13 yellowish-brown ventrally and tyloids reddish brown; metasomal tergites behind T1 with one anterior black marking truncated (T2) or rounded (other tergites behind) on posterior margin.

Distribution

Taiwan.

Bionomics

The host is unknown. This species is distributed in the high-elevation area of central Taiwan (above 2600 m elevation). The holotype was collected in forest margin with Luzula campestris (L.) DC. ( Juncaceae ) grassland ( Fig. 6A View Fig ); one female paratype was collected in pure forest of Pinus taiwanensis Hayata, 1911 ( Pinaceae ) and Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum. ( Cupressaceae ) ( Fig. 6B–C View Fig ).

Remarks

This species keys to the subtribe Amblytelina (Ichneumonini) in the key of Tereshkin (2009) but does not agree with any genus listed in Tereshkin (2011).

The yellow-black color pattern of this new species is similar to that of two species of the genus Hedyjoppa Cameron, 1904 . including H. aurantacea Cameron, 1904 and H. chinensis Riedel, 2023 . However, these species can be separated by generic characters such as the length of the malar space (long in M. immortalibestia but short in Hedyjoppa ), the sculpture of the T2 (evenly and minutely punctate in M. immortalibestia but striate in Hedyjoppa ), and the presence of the lateral carina of the scutellum (absent in M. immortalibestia but complete in Hedyjoppa ).