Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) diki, Gustafsson & Zou, 2023

Gustafsson, Daniel R. & Zou, Fasheng, 2023, Species of Reticulipeurus Kéler, 1958 (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera, Oxylipeurus- complex) parasitic on species of Arborophila, with description of a new subgenus and three new species, Zootaxa 5284 (3), pp. 496-520 : 504

Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) diki new species

( Figs 24–31 , 41 )

Type host. Arborophila rubrirostris (Salvadori, 1879) —red-billed partridge.

Type locality. Sumatra, Indonesia .

Diagnosis. Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) diki can be separated from all other species in the subgenus by the following combination of characters: preantennal head more narrowly pointed ( Fig. 26 ); male flagellomere I not expanded distally ( Fig. 26 ); ventral sclerite of male genitalia with broadly rounded anterior margin ( Fig. 29 ); male temples rounded ( Fig. 26 ); male stylus spatulate ( Fig. 41 ).

Description. Preantennal head somewhat pointed ( Fig. 26 ). Male scape longer than female ( Fig. 27 ), slightly wider but not otherwise modified; male pedicel slightly curved; male flagellomere I without distal extension. Head chaetotaxy as in Fig. 26 . Lateral margins of temples rounded in male. Thoracic and abdominal segments and chaetotaxy as in Figs 24–25 . Distal abdomen of male as in Fig. 41 ; sternal plate VII apparently separate from subgenital plate; stylus short, spatulate; distal margin of segment XI clearly concave, lateral corners not extended distally. Male genitalia as in Figs 28–30 . Distal rugosity of mesosome somewhat coarse, extensive. Ventral sclerite with broadly convex anterior margin and two visible gpmes on each side. Gonopore does not approach distal margin of mesosome. Parameres slender, convergent, with slightly bulging heads; pst 1 in distal third of paramere. Female sternal plate VII without median bulge on distal margin ( Fig. 31 ). Median bulge of vulval margin moderate, with 4–6 vss on each side; lateral lobes with 19–21 long, slender vms on each side. Lateral margin of claspers with 6–9 lateral setae on each side. Measurements as in Table 1 .

Type material examined. Holotype 1♁, Sumatra, [ Indonesia], Dec. 1900, no collector, 22, NHMUK010682701 ( NHML) . Paratypes 1♁, 3♀, same data as holotype, NHMUK010682701–2 ( NHML). 1 ♁, 1♀, Sumatra, no date, coll. R . Meinertzhagen , 8344, NHMUK010682703 ( NHML) .

Etymology. The species epithet honours our friend and colleague Bilal Dik (Veterinary Faculty, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey), who has systematically and meticulously examined the chewing louse fauna of Turkey for many decades, making it one of the best known of the Mediterranean and Middle East regions.

Figures

FIGURES 24–25. Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) diki new species. 24, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 25, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURES 26–31. Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) diki new species. 26, male head, dorsal and ventral view. 27, female antenna, ventral view. 28, male genitalia, dorsal view. 29, male genitalia, ventral view. 30, male paramere, dorsal view. 31, female subgenital plate, vulval margin, and terminalia, ventral view.

FIGURES 40–44. Distal ends of male abdomens, dorsal and ventral views. 40, Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) bracatus new species. 41, Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) diki new species. 42, Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) formosanus (Uchida, 1917). 43, Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) longistylus new species. 44, Reticulipeurus (Forcipurellus) nitzschi Kéler, 1958. All drawings are to the same scale.