Brueelia queleae Sychra & Barlev, 2010

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Grossi, Alexandra A., Halajian, Ali & Engelbrecht, Derek, 2024, New species and new records of Brueelia Kéler, 1936 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) from South Africa, Zootaxa 5446 (1), pp. 88-104 : 98

Brueelia queleae Sychra & Barlev [in Sychra et al.], 2010

( Figs 34–36 )

Brueelia queleae Sychra & Barlev [in Sychra et al.], 2010a: 18.

Type host: Quelea quelea quelea (Linnaeus, 1758) —red-billed quelea.

Type locality: Matam, Senegal .

Other host: Quelea quelea lathami (Smith, 1836) .

Description of male genitalia. Basal apodeme with unclear anterior end, lateral margins slightly sinuous ( Fig. 34 ). Proximal mesosome broader than long, margins irregular, constricted distally ( Fig. 35 ). Mesosomal lobes with slightly concave lateral margins and extensive rugose areas distally. Gonopore bell-shaped, with distal ends curved and extended slightly laterally. Penile arms short and stubby, not reaching beyond distal margin of mesosome. Slight ridges present in anterior end of mesosomal lobes, but visible only in some examined specimens. Parameres bulky proximally, but distal elongations slender, with pst1–2 as in Fig. 36 .

Remarks: Besides the type host, Brueelia queleae was reported from Q. quelea lathami in Malawi by Bush et al. (2016) and Gustafsson & Bush (2017), but our record is the first from South Africa. No significant differences in head shape, chaetotaxy, or pigmentation patterns have been found between our specimens and those examined by Sychra et al. (2010a), except that the pigmented areas of the male and female subgenital plates are slightly more extensive in our specimens. We do not consider this difference significant, and there are no other characters to separate the three known populations of B. queleae .

In the original description of B. queleae , the male genitalia are not illustrated fully, lacking the proximal mesosome. For this reason, we here provide a description and illustrations of the male genitalia based on the South African material.

Material examined (non-types). Ex Quelea quelea lathami : 1♂, 1♀, Polokwane Game Reserve , Polokwane, Limpopo Province, South Africa, 4 Apr. 2015, coll. A. Halajian, BiRBQPGR1 ( NHML) . 1♂, 1♀, same data as previous, BiRBQPGR2 ( NHML) . 1♂, 1♀, same data as previous, BiRBQPGR4 ( NHML) . 1♂, same data as previous, BiRBQPGR11 ( NHML) . 1♀, same data as previous, BiRBQPGR12 ( NHML) . 1♂, same data as previous, BiRBQPGR13 ( NHML) . 1♀, same data as previous, BiRBQPGR14 ( NHML) . 1♂, 1♀, same data as previous, BiRBQPGR17 ( NHML) . 1♀, same data as previous, BiRBQPGR20 ( NHML) .

Figures

FIGURES 34–36. Brueelia queleae Sychra & Barlev [in Sychra et al.], 2010a. 34, male genitalia, dorsal view. 35, male mesosome, ventral view. 36, male paramere, dorsal view.