Brueelia pofadderensis, Gustafsson & Zou & Oslejskova & Najer & Sychra, 2019

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Zou, Fasheng, Oslejskova, Lucie, Najer, Tomas & Sychra, Oldřich, 2019, Four new species of Brueelia Kéler, 1936 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) from African hosts, with a redescription of Nirmus bicurvatus Piaget, 1880, European Journal of Taxonomy 507, pp. 1-48 : 9-13

Brueelia pofadderensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:374AAEBC-FB7D-455F-86A9-D3BC2360AD78

Figs 2–8 , 37–38

Type host

Passer melanurus damarensis Reichenow, 1902 – Cape sparrow ( Passeridae ).

Type locality

Pofadder, Cape Province, South Africa.

Other hosts

Passer melanurus vicinus Clancey, 1958 .

Diagnosis

Brueelia pofadderensis sp. nov. is a fairly typical species of Brueelia from hosts in the genus Passer Brisson, 1760 . This informal group of Brueelia parasitizing Passer spp. is characterized by long, slender heads with convex lateral margins of the preantennal area, elongated parameres and the presence of aps but not psps on the male tergopleurite V. We have seen several undescribed species of this group (D.R. Gustafsson and S.E. Bush, in prep.), but the only described species in this group is Brueelia cyclothorax (Burmeister, 1838) (including N. subtilis Nitzsch in Giebel, 1874 and B. obligata Eichler, 1954 ). No adequate illustrations or descriptions of B. cyclothorax have been published, but partial illustrations were published by Eichler (1954) and Złotorzycka (1964, 1977). Note that the illustration in Eichler (1954) of the female abdomen mixes dorsal and ventral setae and characters on the same side. The frons in his illustrations are also incorrectly illustrated, as the hyaline margin has collapsed in his specimens.

Brueelia pofadderensis sp. nov. can be separated from B. cyclothorax by the following characters: abdominal segment III in both sexes without ps in B. pofadderensis sp. nov. ( Figs 2–3 ), but with 1 ps on each side in B. cyclothorax ; male tergopleurite IV without aps in B. pofadderensis sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 ), but with aps in B cyclothorax ; antero-lateral corners of mesosomal lobes blunt in B. pofadderensis sp. nov. ( Figs 5–6 ), but acute in B. cyclothorax ; distal section of mesosome almost square-shaped in B. pofadderensis sp. nov. ( Figs 5–6 ), but with more convergent lateral margins in B. cyclothorax ; parameres more elongated in B. cyclothorax than in B. pofadderensis sp. nov. ( Fig. 7 ).

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype SOUTH AFRICA • ♂, ex Passer melanurus damarensis ; Cape Province, Pofadder ; May 1949; R. Meinertzhagen leg.; NHML 19050 .

Paratypes

SOUTH AFRICA • 3 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; NHML 19050 .

UNKNOWN COUNTRY • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, ex Passer melanurus demarensis ; locality unknown; Mar. 1913; J. Waterston Collection, formerly South Africa Museum; British Museum; NHML 1930-232 .

Other material

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, ex Passer melanurus vicinus ; West Transvaal , Potchefstroom; May 1953; British Museum; NHML 1955-660 • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, ex Passer melanurus vicinus ; Transvaal , Ventersdorf; 12 Jul. 1954; H.E. Paterson leg.; British Museum; NHML 1955-660 .

Description

Head slenderly rounded, dome-shaped ( Fig. 4 ), lateral margins of preantennal area convex, frons slightly convex. Marginal carina narrow, with shallowly undulating median margins, displaced and widened at osculum. Ventral anterior plate large, with flat to shallowly concave anterior margin. Head chaetotaxy and pigmentation patterns as in Fig. 4 ; head sensilla and pts not visible in examined specimens. Pre- and postocular nodi of similar size. Marginal temporal carina slender, with undulating median margin. Gular plate broad, lanceolate. Thoracic and abdominal segments and pigmentation patterns as in Figs 2–3 , 37–38 .

Male

Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 2; 1–2 tps on tergopleurite VI. Basal apodeme broad, with shallowly concave lateral margins ( Fig. 5 ). Proximal mesosome broadly trapezoidal, widening slightly distally ( Fig. 6 ). Mesosomal lobes wide, angular, with extensive rugose area along distal margin. Gonopore oval, slightly longer than wide. Penile arms reach beyond distal margin of mesosome. Parameres slender, elongated distally ( Fig. 7 ); pst1–2 as in Fig. 7 . Measurements ex P. m. damarensis (n = 5): TL = 1.30–1.40; HL = 0.34–0.35; HW = 0.26–0.27; PRW = 0.16–0.18; PTW = 0.27; AW = 0.35–0.38. Measurements ex P. m. vicinus (n = 3): TL = 1.39–1.51; HL = 0.34–0.36; HW = 0.26–0.30; PRW = 0.16–0.19; PTW = 0.27–0.31; AW = 0.36–0.41.

Female

Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 3 . Subgenital plate rounded trapezoidal, with moderately wide connection to cross piece ( Fig. 8 ). Vulval margin convergent to rounded median point, in specimen from type host subspecies with 2–3 short, slender vms and 3 short, thorn-like vss on each side; 3 short, slender vos on each side of subgenital plate; distal 1 vos median to vss. In material from P. m. vicinus, with 4 short, slender vms and 3–5 short, thorn-like vss on each side of vulval margin, and 2–3 short, slender vos on each side of subgenital plate, with distal 1 vos situated median to vss. Measurements ex P. m. damarensis (n = 1): TL = 1.66; HL = 0.40; HW = 0.30; PRW = 0.20; PTW = 0.31; AW = 0.46. Measurements ex P. m. vicinus (n = 2): TL = 1.69–1.81; HL = 0.37–0.40; HW = 0.29–0.34; PRW = 0.17–0.21; PTW = 0.29–0.33; AW = 0.40–0.47.

Remarks

Specimens from the Transvaal host subspecies, Passer melanurus vicinus , differ from the specimens from the type host subspecies by having proportionately shorter and more rounded preantennal heads, in size and in the female genital chaetotaxy; the latter character may be different only due to the small number of specimens examined. The male genitalia and abdominal chaetotaxy are essentially similar between the two populations. We presently do not consider these differences substantial enough to warrant the erection of a new taxon for the specimens from Transvaal, but note that in some other cases, different host subspecies are parasitized by different species of Brueelia (D.R. Gustafsson and S.E. Bush, in prep.).

Figures

Figs 2–3. Brueelia pofadderensis sp. nov. ex Passer melanurus damarensis Reichenow, 1902. 2. ♂, holotype (NHML 19050), habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 3. ♀, habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Figs 4–8. Brueelia pofadderensis sp. nov. ex Passer melanurus damarensis Reichenow, 1902. 4–7. ♂, holotype (NHML 19050). 4. Head, dorsal and ventral views. 5. Genitalia, dorsal view. 6. Mesosome, ventral view. 7. Paramere, dorsal view. 8. ♀, subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.

Figs 37–44. Habitus photos of the species of Brueelia described as new herein, showing overall pigmentation patterns. 37. B. pofadderensis sp. nov., ♀. 38. B. pofadderensis sp. nov., ♂. 39. B. semiscalaris sp. nov., ♀. 40. B. semiscalaris sp. nov., ♂. 41. B. terpsichore sp. nov., ♀. 42. B. terpsichore sp. nov., ♂. 43. B. sima sp. nov., ♀. 44. B. sima sp. nov., ♂. All photographs are to scale.