Neopsittaconirmus vendulae, a new species of louse (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) from the Cockatiel Nymphicus hollandicus (Psittaciformes: Cacatuidae)
Author
Sychra, Old Ř Ich
text
Zootaxa
2006
1270
57
68
journal article
50521
10.5281/zenodo.173238
65ba6b35-e851-4eb4-befe-b350e036bc1e
11755326
173238
Neopsittaconirmus vendulae Sychra
,
new species
(
Figs. 1–6
)
Type
host:
Nymphicus hollandicus
(Kerr)
Male
(
Fig. 1
): Preantennal region shorter or as long as postantennal, with preantennal/ postantennal ratio 0.90; anterior margin bordered by narrow hyaline margin. Antenna filiform, with basal segment somewhat enlarged. Guttate processes in preantennal region (
Guimarães 1974: 126
) circular. Pronotum with 1 long lateroposterior seta on each side; metanotum with 4 very long and 1 medium long marginal setae on each side. Anterior margin of abdominal tergite II (first apparent tergite) slightly split along midline, III–VII wide concave, and VIII–IX almost straight. Short marginal and short anterior seta on each side of abdominal tergite II; tergites IV–VII with medium long tergolateral seta on each side; tergites III–VIII with 1 short and 1 medium long tergocentral setae on each side; IX much narrowed with marginal row of 3 short and 1 very long setae, terminally with 4–5 short setae. Posterior margin of subgenital plate deeply split (in dorsal view,
Fig. 2
). Conspicuous pattern of pigmentation involving lateral and posterior portions of abdominal tergites II–VIII, gular and ventral thoracic plates, temples and guttate processes.
Abdominal sterna II–VII each with 2–4 setae, with lengths as shown (
Fig. 1
). Male genitalia as in
Figs 3, 4
. Basal apodeme relatively narrow and long, parameres short and stout, each with very stout subapical seta and conspicuous circular spot on lateral margin (in ventral view,
Fig. 4
). Mesosomal complex contains from two pairs of sacs or pouches (
Fig. 4
). Dimensions: TW, 0.25–0.29; HL, 0.37–0.42; P/P, 0.78–0.95; PW, 0.19–0.21; PL, 0.08–0.12; MW, 0.25–0.31; ML, 0.18–0.20; AWV, 0.27–0.34; AL, 0.85–1.00; TL, 1.47–1.69.
Female
(
Fig. 5
). Mostly as for male. Tergolateral seta on each side of tergites IV–VII short. Tergites III–VIII with only one short tergocentral setae on each side. Abdominal tergite IX not narrowed, with 2 very long and 1 short setae on each side. Ventral terminalia as in
Fig. 6
; subgenital plate wide, rounded posteriorly, with chaetotaxy as shown. Dimensions: TW, 0.30–0.34; HL, 0.41–0.46; P/P, 0.76–1.00; PW, 0.20–0.23; PL, 0.09–0.14; MW, 0.26–0.36; ML, 0.20–0.24; AWV, 0.33–0.42; AL, 1.03–1.28; TL, 1.74–2.05.
Both sexes of
N. vendulae
are readily characterized by a unique combination of characters as follows: (1) tergolateral setae on each side of tergites IV–VII. This character is identical to those in the species
N. circumfasciatus
(Piaget)
from
Polytelis anthopeplus
(Lear)
,
N. difficilis
Guimarães
from
Psittacula alexandri
(L.) and
N. anodis
(Neumann)
from
Psittrichas fulgidus
(Lesson)
.
Neopsittaconirmus vendulae
can be separated from those species by the shape of the male genitalia, female ventral terminalia, the chaetotaxy of male tergite IX and the lack of sexual dimorphism in the shape of antennae; (2) no sexual dimorphism in the shape of antennae; (3) conspicuous pattern of pigmentation involving lateral and posterior portions of abdominal tergites II–VIII, gular and ventral thoracic plates, temples and guttate processes; and (4) row of three short and one very long setae on tergite IX of male. The above four characters distinguish
N. vendulae
from five species of
Neopsittaconirmus
described from cockatoos
N. borgiolii
Conci
from
Calyptorhynchus funereus
(Shaw)
,
N. clayae
Guimarães
from
Probosciger aterrimus
(Gmelin)
,
N. albus
(Le Souëf & Bullen)
from
Cacatua galerita
(Latham)
;
N. shanahani
Price & Emerson
from
Cacatua ducorps
(Bonaparte)
, and
N. emersoni
Guimarães
from
Cacatua haematuropygia
(Müller)
. Conversely, those four characters place
N. vendulae
close to
N. eos
(Giebel)
from
Eolophus roseicapillus
(Vieillot)
. However, both sexes of
N. vendulae
may be separated from those of
N. eos
by a combination of other characters, as follows: (5) unique shape of male genitalia with short and stout parameres, each with a very stout subapical seta; (6) pair of tergocentral setae on each side of tergites III–VIII of male; and (7) female subgenital plate with posterior margin wide, rounded.
Type
material:
Holotype
male ex
Nymphicus hollandicus
(captive bird),
AUSTRALIA
, 1966, R.S. Balter coll.
Paratypes
: two males and one female, with same data as
holotype
;
6 males
and
8 females
, ex
Nymphicus hollandicus
Kerr
(captive birds),
AUSTRALIA
, 1965 R. S. Balter coll.;
2 males
and
3 females
ex
Nymphicus hollandicus
Kerr
(cage birds),
AUSTRALIA
, 1971, Geo. Smith coll. All deposited at The Natural History Museum, London (
NHML
), B.M. 1969101 and B. M. 1971509.
FIGURES 1–6.
Neopsittaconirmus vendulae
n. sp.
1, male; 2, male dorsal terminalia; 3–4, male genitalia, dorsal view (3), ventral view (4); 5, female; 6, female ventral terminalia. (Figures were made from the type specimens held at the NHML—B.M. 1969101).
Other material:
One female and nymph ex
N. hollandicus
(captive birds),
CZECH REPUBLIC
, Vlašim,
17 September 2003
, O. Sychra coll. Two males and three females ex
N. hollandicus
(captive birds),
GERMANY
, Saxonie,
7 December 2001
, R. Schmäschke coll. One male and one female ex
Melopsittacus undulatus
(captive bird),
GERMANY
, Saxonie, Rochlitz,
20 July 2000
, R. Schmäschke coll. All deposited at the Moravian Museum Brno,
Czech Republic
.
Etymology:
This species is named after my wife Vendula Sychrová.