Craspedorrhynchus linardii Valim, 2006

Valim, Michel P., 2006, Craspedorrhynchus linardii, a new species of chewing louse (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) from the Gray-headed Kite (Aves: Falconiformes: Accipitridae), Zootaxa 1173, pp. 57-62 : 58-62

Craspedorrhynchus linardii Valim , new species ( Figs. 1–10 )

Type host. Leptodon cayanensis (Latham, 1790) , the Gray­headed Kite ( Accipitridae ).

Type material. Holotype male from Leptodon cayanensis : BRAZIL, Brasília , Distrito Federal: Fazenda Água Limpa (15º 57’S, 47º 56’W), 05/IX/2002, Mieko F. Kanegae coll. Paratypes: 4 males, 3 females and 2 nymphs from the same host specimen, same date and locality as the holotype.

Male. Whole specimen as in Fig. 1 . Paired pteronotal plates with 4–5 postero­medial setae, 2 postero­lateral setae and 1 lateral seta on each side. Head as shown in Fig. 3 , longer than wide (CI 1.05). Tergal plates as shown in Fig. 4 , often with slight bifurcations on tergites III. Number of tergocentral abdominal setae (including postspiracular seta): II 10–13; III 14–15; IV 13–16; V–VI 15–14; VII 18–20; VIII 14–16. Number of sternocen­ tral abdominal setae II 6–8; III 11–12; IV 11–16; V 13–16; VI 9–16 . Number of pleural setae II 0; III 1; IV 7–8; V 7; VI 7–8; VIII 5 and IX 4. Measurements: HL 0.91 (0.89– 0.95); FW 0.50 (0.49–0.52); TW 0.87 (0.85–0.89); CI 1.05 (1.02–1.07); POW 0.51 (0.50– 0.52); PEW 0.67 (0.65–0.68); AW 1.09 (1.08–1.09); GL 0.57 (0.55–0.60); GW 0.17 (0.16–0.20); TL 2.29 (2.25–2.33); TI 2.11 (2.08–2.14).

Female. Larger than male, whole specimen as in Fig. 2 . Paired pteronotal plates with 4–6 postero­medial setae, 2 postero­lateral setae and 1 lateral seta on each side. Head as in Fig. 5 . Tergal plates as in Fig. 6 . Vulvar region as in Fig. 7 . Number of tergocentral abdominal setae (including postspiracular seta): II 14; III 16–17; IV 12–17; V 11–12; VI 12; VII 12–13; VIII 10–11. Number of sternocentral abdominal setae II 8–9; III 10–11; IV–V 11– 12; VI 12–13. Number of pleural seta II 0, III 1; IV 7–8; V–VI 6–7; VII 5; IX 4. The number of setae on the edge of the vulvar opening is 10–11, insertions depicted in Fig. 7 . Measurements: HL 0.95 (0.95); FW 0.52 (0.52); TW 0.89 (0.89); CI 1.07 (1.07); POW 0.53 (0.53); PEW 0.70 (0.70); AW 1.17 (1.17); TL 2.66 (2.62–2.70); TI 2.28 (2.24–2.31); EWG 0.10 (0.10); IWG 0.05 (0.04–0.05).

Etymology. This species is named after Dr Pedro Marcos Linardi (Department of Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil) in recognition of his great contribution to Medical Entomology, especially his studies of fleas and sucking lice of the Brazilian fauna.

Discussion

Craspedorrhynchus linardii sp. n. can be distinguished from all the species described by Carriker (1956) by the shape of its male genital plate which has lateral “wings”. Although the shape of the genitalia is not a good character for separation of the species of Craspedorrhynchus (see Mey, 2001), the shape of the endomeral plate of C. linardii sp.n. is very different from those described by Carriker (1956). Regarding total body length, C. linardii sp.n. (male total length 2.29mm; female total length 2.66mm) is similar to C. obscurus (Giebel, 1874) (male total length 2.12mm; female total length 2.68mm) and C. spathulatus from Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) (male total length 2.18mm; female total length 2.61mm). The Neotropical species described by Carriker (1956) are much smaller than the new species described here (the biggest is C. brevicapitis Carriker, 1956 , males: 1.82 and female: 2.37).

Females of C. linardii resemble C. nisus (Denny, 1842) and C. insolitus Kéler, 1938 , in having two anterior setae on tergite IX, but can be distinguished from both in lacking a pair of rudimentary sclerites on the posterior margin of this tergite ( Fig. 8 ). The shape of those sclerites approaches that of C. nisus , but the presence of a medial invagination in the anterior edge, differentiates this species from the others.

(Bar = 0.4mm). 10, male genitalia (Bar = 0.1mm).

The clypeal plates of both sexes ( Figs. 3 and 5 ) resemble those of C. spathulatus (Giebel, 1874) , in having concave anterior edges and slightly convex laterals edges. The lateral “wings” of the male genital plate are as in C. spathulatus , well developed and wide, but the genital plate of C. linardii sp.n. ( Fig. 9 ) is different from that of C. spathulatus in the position and number of setae. The male genitalia of these two species also differ in the shape of the endomeral plates and by the absence of a fissure in the basal apodeme of C. linardii sp.n. ( Fig. 10 ). In females of C. spathulatus and C. linardii sp.n., the number of setae on the edge of the vulvar opening is the same (10–11) on each side. However, females can be distinguished by the chaetotaxy of tergite IX, because C. spathulatus has neither a pair of anterior setae, nor the medio­anterior invagination that is present in C. linardii sp.n. ( Fig. 8 ).

The hyaline margin of the head in C. linardii sp.n. is similar to that in C. insolitus , in having a deep antero­medial depression. However, the general shape of the head is longer than wide in C. linardii sp.n. (CI 1.02­1.07), while in C. insolitus is wider than long (CI 0.94­0.95).

Leptodon cayanensis occurs from Mexico to Argentina, including all the forested areas of Brazil ( Sick, 1997). It is assumed that the distribution of Craspedorrhynchus linardii sp.n. is the same as that of the host.

Acknowledgments

I am most grateful to Mieko F. Kanegae (Brasília, DF—Brazil) for providing the specimens, Ricardo L. Palma (Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand) and Eberhard Mey (Museum of Natural History at the Thuringian State Museum Heidecksburg Rudolstadt, Germany) for their critical review of the manuscript and Fabio A. Hernandes (Universidade Estadual Paulista—S.J. Rio Preto­SP, Brazil) for assistance in preparing the plates.

References

Carriker, M.A. (1956) Report on a collection of Mallophaga, largely Mexican (Part II). Florida Entomologist, 39, 19–43.

Emerson, K.C. (1960) Two new species of Craspedorrhynchus (Mallophaga) from North America. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 73, 39–44.

Mey, E. (2001) A new Craspedorrhynchus species (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) from Australia, with an annotated checklist of this chewing louse genus. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 48, 117–132.

Palma, R.L. (1978) Slide mounting of lice: a description of the Canada balsam technique. The New Zealand Entomologist, 6, 432–436.

Pérez, J.M. & Martín­Mateo, M.P. (1995) The first description of male Craspedorrhynchus subbuteonis Gallego, Martin & Aguirre, 1987 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 31, 285–291.

Price, R.D., Hellenthal, R.A. & Palma, R.L. (2003) World checklist of chewing lice with host associations and keys to families and genera. In: Price, R.D., Hellenthal, R.A., Palma, R.L., Johnson, K.P. & Clayton, D.H. (Eds.) The chewing lice: world checklist and biological overview. Illinois Natural History Survey Special Publication 24, pp. 1–448.

Sick, H. (1997) Ornitologia Brasileira. 2 nd edition, Rio de Janeiro, Nova Fronteira, 862 pp.

Złotorzycka, J. (1977) Wszoly—Mallophaga Nadrodzina Philopteroidea: rodzina Philopteridae. Klucze do ozanaczania owadow Polski. Czesc XV Zeszyt, 4, 1–124.

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Craspedorrhynchus linardii sp.n.: 1, male. 2, female.

FIGURES 3–7. Craspedorrhynchus linardii sp.n.: 3, dorso­ventral views of head of male. 4, male tergites. 5, dorso­ventral views of the head of the female. 6, female tergites 7, female vulvar area (setae on the edge of the vulvar opening not drawn) (Bar = 0.4mm).

FIGURES 8–10. Craspedorrhynchus linardii sp.n.: 8, female IX tergite. 9, male subgenital plate