Brueelia californica, Gustafsson & Bush, 2021

Gustafsson, Daniel R. & Bush, Sarah E., 2021, Descriptions of seven new species of Brueelia Kéler 1936 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) from North American sparrows (Aves: Passeriformes: Passerellidae), and review of host use by Brueelia vulgata, Journal of Natural History 54 (33 - 34), pp. 2071-2112 : 2085-2090

Brueelia californica sp. nov.

Type host

Melozone crissalis ( Vigors 1839) – California towhee.

Type locality

California, United States .

Diagnosis

Brueelia californica sp. nov. is most similar to Brueelia canyonica sp. nov., with which it shares the following characters: aps absent from male tergopleurites VI–VII ( Figures 7a and 9a ); ss present on male tergopleurite V ( Figures 7a and 9a ); ps absent on male abdominal segment III ( Figures 7a and 9a ), but present on female abdominal segment III ( Figures 7B and 9b ); gonopore broad ( Figures 8c and 10c ); rugose area of mesosomal lobes confined to posterior margin ( Figures 8c and 10c ). The two species can be separated by the following characters: proximal mesosome narrowly rounded in B. californica ( Figure 8c ), but broadly rounded in B. canyonica ( Figure 10c ); gonopore with concave antero-lateral corners in B. californica ( Figure 8c ), but with rounded antero-lateral margins in B. canyonica ( Figure 10c ).

Description

Both sexes. Head convex dome-shaped ( Figure 8a ), lateral margins of preantennal area convex, frons rounded to slightly flattened. Marginal carina moderate, deeply displaced and slightly widened at osculum; median margin undulated. Ventral anterior plate very small, crescent-shaped. Head chaetotaxy as in Figure 8a . Preantennal nodi slender, not bulging. Pre- and post-ocular nodi moderate. Marginal temporal carina with irregular median margin. Gular plate lanceolate. Thoracic and abdominal segments as in Figure 7a– b . Head medium brown with marginal and marginal temporal carinae, margins of antennal socket, and anterior half of gular plate darker; thoracic and abdominal segments pale brown, with proepimera, metepisterna, lateral margins of tergopleurites IV–VIII, and sternal plates IV–VI and subgenital plate medium brown.

Male. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Figure 7a ; ss present on tergopleurite V; tps present on tergopleurite VII; aps absent on tergopleurites II–VII; ps absent from abdominal segment III. Basal apodeme narrowing anteriorly ( Figure 8b ). Proximal mesosome narrowly rounded, long ( Figure 8c ). Mesosomal lobes slender, rounded, with rugose area limited to posterior margin; 2 pmes sensilla on each side of gonopore. Gonopore shaped as in Figure 8c , with concave anterolateral corners. Penile arms do not reach distal margin of mesosome. Parameres broad, elongated, pst1–2 as in Figure 8d . Measurements (n = 3, except TL, where n = 2): TL = 1.49–1.52; HL = 0.36; HW = 0.28–0.29; PRW = 0.17–0.18; PTW = 0.27–0.28; AW = 0.36–0.39.

Female. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Figure 7b ; ps present on abdominal segment III. Lateral margins of subgenital plate slightly convergent distally ( Figure 8e ), with narrow connection to cross-piece. Vulval margin gently rounded ( Figure 8e ), with 2–3 short, slender vms and 2–3 short, thorn-like vss on each side; 3–4 short, slender vos on each side of subgenital plate; distal 1 vos median to vss. Measurements (n = 52, except AW, where n = 51): TL = 1.55–1.79 (1.68); HL = 0.38–0.41 (0.39); HW = 0.30–0.33 (0.31); PRW = 0.19–0.21 (0.20); PTW = 0.27–0.32 (0.30); AW = 0.36–0.47 (0.42).

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the type locality, California .

Material examined

Ex Melozone crissalis [ as Pipilo fuscus crissalis ]: Holotype ♂, California [ United States], Mar . 1939, R. Meinertzhagen, 12814 ( NHML) . Paratypes. 1♂, 54♀, same data as holotype ( NHML) . Non-types. 1♂, same data as holotype ( NHML) .

Remarks

One male on same slide as type series with dissected genitalia much unlike those of the other two males. Other characters are similar to the two males included in the type series. As we cannot tell whether this specimen has aberrant genitalia, or if they were somehow distorted during dissection, we do not count this specimen as a paratype. The holotype and paratype males are not dissected. All specimens are mounted on the same slide.

Figures

Figure 7. Brueelia californica sp. nov. ex Melozone crissalis (Vigors 1839). (A) male habitus, dorsal and ventral views; (b) female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Figure 8. Brueelia californica sp. nov. ex Melozone crissalis (Vigors 1839). (a) male head, dorsal and ventral views; (b) male genitalia, dorsal view (c) male mesosome, ventral view; (d) male paramere, dorsal view; (e) female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.

Figure 9. Brueelia canyonica sp. nov. ex Melozone fusca (Swainson 1827). (a) male habitus, dorsal and ventral views; (b) female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Figure 10. Brueelia canyonica sp. nov. ex Melozone fusca (Swainson 1827). (a) male head, dorsal and ventral views; (b) male genitalia, dorsal view (c) male mesosome, ventral view; (d) male paramere, dorsal view; (e) female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.