Morphological revision of the hyperdiverse Brueelia - complex (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) with new taxa, checklists and generic key
Author
Bush, Sarah E.
text
Zootaxa
2017
2017-08-31
4313
1
1
443
journal article
32249
10.11646/zootaxa.4313.1.1
d8cc2cd8-8410-49aa-a75d-7a41d9f52b26
1175-5326
883161
A5Fdfba5-F992-44A8-84C2-1756C943C19B
Psammonirmus
Gustafsson & Bush
,
new genus
Type species.
Psammonirmus lunatipectus
new species
Diagnosis.
Psammonirmus
n. gen.
does not appear to be closely related to any other genus treated here.
pns
is absent in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 148
) as in
Brueelia
s. str
(
Fig. 44
), and like in
Brueelia
s. str.
(
Figs 42–43
) females of
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 147
) have very few abdominal setae, while males (
Fig. 146
) have few setae in anterior segments and several
tps
in more posterior segments (see
Table 2
). Moreover,
Brueelia
s. str.
lack
as3
(
Fig. 44
), but
as3
is present in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 148
). With the exception of
Br
.
phasmasoma
n. sp.
(
Fig. 58
), no known
Brueelia
s. str.
have a dorsal preantennal suture, but this is present in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 148
), and extends as in some
Acronirmus
(
Fig. 85
).
Psammonirmus
is separated from species of
Brueelia
s. str.
with dorsal preantennal suture and
Acronirmus
by the following characters:
s4
present in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 148
) but absent in
Brueelia
s. str.
(
Fig. 58
) and
Acronirmus
(
Fig. 85
);
pos
absent in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 148
) and
Acronirmus
(
Fig. 85
) but present in
Brueelia
s. str.
(
Fig. 58
); female tergopleurites IX+X and XI partially fused in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 147
) but not fused in
Brueelia
s. str.
(
Fig. 57
) and
Acronirmus
(
Fig. 84
);
ss
present on male tergopleurites II–IV,
psps
present on male tergopleurite IV, and
tps
present on male tergopleurites V–VI in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 146
), but all these sets of setae absent in
Brueelia
s. str.
(
Fig. 56
) and
Acronirmus
(
Fig. 83
); mesosomal lobes extended laterally overlapping with parameres in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 149
) but not extended in
Brueelia
s. str.
(
Fig. 59
) or
Acronirmus
(
Fig. 86
).
The male genitalia of
Psammonirmus
(
Figs 149–151
) are similar only to those of
Hecatrishula
n. gen.
(e.g.
Figs 134–136
,
142–144
) and
Ceratocista
n. gen.
(
Figs 157–159
). As in
Hecatrishula
(
Figs 134–135
,
142–143
), the mesosomal lobes are extended laterally, overlapping the parameres in
Psammornirmus
(
Figs 149–150
); in both genera the gonopore is slightly elongated distally, the proximal mesosome is small, the parameral heads are at least bifid (
Figs 136
,
144
,
151
), and the lateral margins of the mesosomal lobes are pectinate. However, in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 149
) the lateral extensions of the mesosomal lobes are dorsal to the parameres, whereas in
Hecatrishula
they are ventral (
Figs 134
,
142
). In addition, the ventral U- or V-shaped sclerite present in
Hecatrishula
(
Figs 135
,
143
) is absent in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 150
), and while the
pmes
are visible as stout setae positioned on the postero-ventral surface of the lobes in
Hecatrishula
(
Figs 135
,
143
), these are much smaller and positioned on the lobes in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 150
). Abdominal chaetotaxy differs between the two genera (
Table 2
), with
Hecatrishula
having
psps
and
tps
on all segments in both sexes (
Figs 130–131
,
138–139
), whereas in
Psammonirmus
anterior segments of the male (
Fig. 146
) have only
ss
and are entirely nude in female (
Fig. 147
).
as3
is present in both
Hecatrishula
(
Figs 132
,
140
) and
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 148
), but
pns
is present in
Hecatrishula
and absent in
Psammonirmus
.
Lateral extensions of the mesosomal lobes are found also in
Ceratocista
(
Figs 157–158
), and in both this genus and
Psammonirmus
these extensions are dorsal. The abdominal chaetotaxy is remarkably similar in the two genera (
Table 2
). In both
Ceratocista
(
Fig. 154
) and
Psammonirmus
(
Figs 147
) female tergopleurites IX+X and XI are partially fused. The female subgenital plates of both genera are also very similar, however the cross-piece is medianly displaced in
Ceratocista
(
Fig. 160
) but medianly continuous in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 152
). Antennae are sexually dimorphic in
Ceratocista
(
Figs 155–156
) but not in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 148
), and the preantennal structure is very different in these two genera. In
Ceratocista
(
Fig. 155
) the frons is sclerotized dorsally as in
Resartor
n. gen.
(
Fig. 163
) or
Turdinirmus
(
Fig. 182
), but in
Psammonirmus
(
Fig. 148
) the frons is hyaline, and the dorsal preantennal suture completely separates the dorsal anterior plate from the main head plate.
Description.
Both sexes
. Head trapezoidal (
Fig. 148
). Marginal carina interrupted submedianly and laterally; absent at osculum. Dorsal preantennal suture continuous with hyaline margin, reaching
dsms
and
ads
, posteriorly separating dorsal anterior plate from main head plate. Ventral carinae diffuse anterior to pulvinus, and not clearly continuous with marginal carina. Ventral anterior plate absent. Head setae as in
Fig. 148
;
pos
and
pns
absent. Coni small, pointed. Antennae monomorphic. Temporal carinae not visible;
mts
3
only macrosetae. Gular plate broad, pentagonal.
Prothorax rectangular (
Figs 146–147
);
ppss
on postero-lateral corner. Proepimera with hammer-shaped median ends. Pterothorax pentagonal, with posterior margin convergent to rounded median point, differing slightly in shape between sexes;
mms
widely separated medianly. Meso- and metasterna not fused; 1 seta on postero-lateral corner on each side of each plate. Metepisterna widened medianly. Leg chaetotaxy as in
Fig. 25
, except
fI-v4, fI-p2, fII-v2, fIII-v2
absent.
Abdomen (
Figs 146–147
) oval in female, more teardrop-shaped in male. Tergopleurites rectangular, but triangular in more posterior tergopleurites in male; tergopleurites II–IX+X in male and tergopleurites II–VIII in female moderately separated medianly. Tergopleurite IX+X and XI fused in female. Sternal plates rectangular, transversally continuous, not approaching pleurites. Pleural incrassatons moderate. Re-entrant heads prominent. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in
Table 2
and
Figs 146–147
;
pss
cannot be seen in any material examined, and lateralmost seta on all tergopleurites (except pleural setae) here tentatively interpreted as
psps
with shorter seta median to this in females tentatively interpreted as
tps
.
Male
subgenital plate trapezoidal, reaching posterior margin of abdomen. Female subgenital plate trapezoidal, but diffuse distally. Cross-piece present, but from the material examined it cannot be established whether this is detached or continuous with subgenital plate. Vulval margin (
Fig. 152
) with slender
vms
, numerous thorn-like
vss
;
vos
follow lateral margins of subgenital plate; distal setae not approaching
vss
.
Basal apodeme rounded rectangular (
Fig. 149
). Proximal mesosome small, constricted at about midpoint. Gonopore (
Fig. 150
) prominent, open distally, with lateral extensions in anterior end. Mesosomal lobes large, wing-like, overlapping with parameres. Distal margin of lobes pectinate; 2
pmes
sensilla visible on each side of gonopore (
Fig. 150
). Parameral heads bifid (
Fig. 151
). Parameral blades slender, tapering;
pst1–2
not visible.
Host distribution.
Psammonirmus lunatipectus
n. sp.
is the first species of
Brueelia
-complex described from the Eurylaimides, and is presently know only from the
Eurylaimidae
. A pair of specimens (NHML, 1980-40 and 1934-570) from
Psarisomus dalhousiae dalhousiae
(Jameson, 1835)
belong to this genus, but the male genitalia are too badly distorted to ascertain whether these are
Ps
.
lunatipectus
. Notably, the head shape of the material from
P. d. dalhousie
varies from that of
Ps. lunatipectus
from
Serilophus lunatus
.
We have examined material from other
Eurylaimidae
, including
Eurylaimus steerei mayri
Salomonsen, 1954
,
Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchus malaccensis
Salvadori, 1874
,
Corydon sumatranus laoensis
Meyer de Schauensee, 1929
, and
Calyptomena viridis caudacuta
Swainson
, 1838
, but all specimens from these hosts belong to
Guimaraesiella
. We have seen no
Brueelia
-complex lice from the other members of Eurylaimides (
Pittidae
,
Philepittidae
,
Sapayoa
Hartert, 1903
). The two known hosts of
Psammonirmus
are nested within the
Eurylaimidae
, but are not closely related within that family (
Moyle
et al
. 2006
). It is puzzling that these two hosts, but none of the others, are parasitised by
Psammonirmus
; poor sampling may be a factor.
Geographical range.
Southeast
Asia.
Etymology.
The genus name is derived from Greek “
psammos
” for “sand”, and refers to the coloration of the only known species. “
Nirmus
” is a common generic suffix in louse taxonomy, referring to
Nitzsch (1818)
genus of the same name. Gender: masculine.
Remarks.
No
representative of
Psammonirmus
was included in the phylogeny of Bush
et al
. (2016), and its relationship to other genera treated here is presently unknown.
Included species
*
Psammonirmus lunatipectus
new species