Sychraella sinsutura Gustafsson & Bush, 2017

Bush, Sarah E., 2017, Morphological revision of the hyperdiverse Brueelia - complex (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) with new taxa, checklists and generic key, Zootaxa 4313 (1), pp. 1-443 : 75-78

Sychraella sinsutura Gustafsson & Bush , new species

( Figs 106–113)

Type host. Pomatostomus isidorei isidorei Lesson, 1827 —New Guinea babbler.

Type locality. Oriomo River , elev. 20 ft., Western District, Papua New Guinea. Other host. Pomatostomus isidorei calidus Rothschild, 1931 — New Guinea babbler.

Diagnosis. Sychraella sinsutura n. sp. is not morphologically close to any other species in the Brueelia -complex. Head and abdominal chaetotaxy, female genitalia, shape of mesosome, and presence of sexually dimorphic antennae are similar to some Mirandofures n. gen., but Sy. Sinsutura is separated from all Mirandofures by the lack of dorsal preantennal suture, marginal carinal plate, and the presence of a laterally submarginal cross-piece along the vulval margin.

Description. Both sexes. Head shape, structure and chaetotaxy as in genus description and Fig. 108. Thoracic and abdominal segments as in genus description and Figs 106–107.

Male. ads long ( Fig. 108). Scapes oval, about twice as long as those of female; pedicel and flagellomeres ( Fig. 108) more elongate than those of female ( Fig. 109). Pteronotum with 5 mms setae on each side. Tergopleurites rounded triangular, widely separated medianly. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2 and Fig. 106. Basal apodeme ( Fig. 110) broad, shallowly concave laterally. Proximal mesosome small, rectangular with concave anterior and lateral margins. Gonopore ( Fig. 111) broader than long, with small lateral extensions. Mesosomal lobes fused distally. Parameral heads ( Fig. 112) bluntly bifid. Parameral blades with distinct median heels just distal to mesosome. Genital chaetotaxy as in genus description. Measurements ex Pomatostomus isidorei isidorei (n = 3): TL = 1.39–1.52; HL = 0.34–0.36; HW = 0.30–0.32; PRW = 0.23–0.24; PTW = 0.36–0.40; AW = 0.35–0.46. Ex P. i. calidus (n = 1): TL = 1.57; HL = 0.38; HW = 0.32; PRW = 0.23; PTW = 0.39; AW = 0.49.

Female. ads minute ( Fig. 107). Antennae as in Fig. 109. Pteronotum with 4 mms on each side ( Fig. 107). Tergopleurites rectangular and narrowly separated medianly. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2 and Fig. 107. Female subgenital plate as in genus description and Fig. 113. Vulval margin ( Fig. 113) bulging medianly, with 2 long, slender vms on each side, and 7–10 short thorn-like vss on each side; 6–8 slender vos on each side, with 2 distal vos median to vss. Measurements ex Pomatostomus isidorei isidorei (n = 5): TL = 1.79–1.98; HL = 0.37– 0.40; HW = 0.34–0.38; PRW = 0.23–0.25; PTW = 0.37–0.42; AW = 0.51–0.56. Ex P. i. calidus (n = 1): TL = 2.00; HL = 0.42; HW = 0.38; PRW = 0.25; PTW = 0.41; AW = 0.58.

Etymology. The species epithet is formed by Latin “ sine ” for “without” and “ sutura ” for “seam”, referring to the dorsal preantennal suture, which is missing in this species ( Fig. 108). This is one of the characters separating it from Mirandofures n. gen., which is otherwise very similar.

Type material. Ex Pomatostomus isidorei isidorei : Holotype ♂, Oriomo River , elev. 20 ft., Western District, Papua New Guinea, 4 Feb. 1964, H. Clissold, BBM-NG-29393 ( BPBM) . Paratypes: 2♂, 5♀, same data as holotype ( BPBM) .

Additional material examined (non-types)

Ex Pomatostomus isidorei calidus : 1♂, 1♀, Wewak, East Sepik District, Papua New Guinea, 23 Oct. 1972, 101674 ( OSUS).

Remarks. Our single male and female from Pomatostomus isidorei calidus are very similar to those from the type host, but differ slightly in the shape of the mesosome, the length of the parameral blades, and the number of submarginal thorn-like setae of the vulval margin (11 in material ex P. i. calidus ; 7–10 in material ex P. i. isidorei ). The marginal carina is more slender anteriorly, and the displaced section at osculum is not as clearly visible as in material from type host. These differences may ultimately warrant the separation of this material as a distinct subspecies or species, but additional specimens are needed to confirm their correct taxonomic status.