Brueelia melospizae, 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 : 2101-2103

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222933.2020.1836280

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6D472E90-DCD1-471F-8A9C-B260C2F2074D

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/336B879A-0C54-FFE6-FE07-FBF0FBB4A06A

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Brueelia melospizae
status

sp. nov.

Brueelia melospizae sp. nov.

Type host

Melospiza melodia fallax ( Baird 1854) – song sparrow.

Type locality

Arizona, United States .

Other hosts

Melospiza georgiana ( Latham 1790) – swamp sparrow. Melospiza lincolnii (Audubon 1835) – Lincoln’s sparrow.

Diagnosis

Brueelia melospizae sp. nov. is most similar to Brueelia vulgata ( Kellogg 1896) , with which it shares the following characters: ps present on abdominal segment III in both sexes ( Figure 1a–b View Figure 1 , 15A–B View Figure 15 ); ss present on male tergopleurite V ( Figure 1a View Figure 1 , 15a View Figure 15 ); aps present on male tergopleurite VII ( Figure 1a View Figure 1 , 15a View Figure 15 ); head shape ( Figure 2a View Figure 2 , 16A View Figure 16 ); shape of the female subgenital plate ( Figure 2e View Figure 2 , 16e View Figure 16 ). These two species can be separated on the following characters: tps present on male tergopleurite VII in B. melospizae ( Figure 15a View Figure 15 ), but absent in B. vulgata ( Figure 1a View Figure 1 ); aps present on male tergopleurite VI in B. melospizae ( Figure 15a View Figure 15 ), but absent in B. vulgata ( Figure 1a View Figure 1 ); gonopore smaller and with flattened anterior margin in B. melospizae ( Figure 16c View Figure 16 ), but larger and with rounded anterior margin in B. vulgata ( Figure 2c View Figure 2 ); rugose area of mesosomal lobes more restricted in B. melospizae ( Figure 16c View Figure 16 ) than in B. vulgata ( Figure 2c View Figure 2 ).

Description

Both sexes. Head rounded trapezoidal ( Figure 15a View Figure 15 ), lateral margins of preantennal head convex, except distal extreme concave in some specimens, frons flattened to slightly concave. Marginal carina of moderate width, much narrowed in distal section, deeply displaced and widened at osculum. Ventral anterior plate broad, roughly triangular. Head chaetotaxy as in Figure 16a View Figure 16 . Preantennal nodi slender, slightly bulging. Pre- and postocular nodi large. Marginal temporal carina with irregular median margin. Gular plate broadly lanceolate. Thoracic and abdominal segments as in Figure 15A–B View Figure 15 . Base pigmentation pale brown; marginal carina, margins of antennal sockets, marginal temporal carina, proepimera, metepisterna, and lateral margins of tergopleurites dark brown, almost black in some specimens; sternal and subgenital plates, lateral sections of tergopleurites, and distal margin of female tergopleurite IX+X medium brown.

Male. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Figure 15A View Figure 15 ; ss present on tergopleurite V; tps present on tergopleurite VII; aps present on tergopleurites VI–VII; ps present on abdominal segment III. In many specimens ss of tergopleurites V–VI much longer than ss on more posterior segments, reaching between 1/3 and ½ the length of the next tergopleurite. Basal apodeme wide distally, narrowing conspicuously proximally ( Figure 16B View Figure 16 ). Proximal mesosome short, gently rounded ( Figure 16C View Figure 16 ). Mesosomal lobes wide, gently rounded; rugose area limited to distal and median margins; 2 pmes sensilla on each side lateral to gonopore. Gonopore shaped as in Figure 16C View Figure 16 , with flattened anterior margin slightly extended proximally. Penile arms short, not reaching distal margin of mesosome. Parameres broad, stout distally, pst1–2 as in Figure 16D View Figure 16 . Measurements ex Melospiza melodia (n = 11 except TL where n = 9): TL = 1.19–1.38; HL = 0.32–0.35; HW = 0.25–0.28; PRW = 0.15–0.17; PTW = 0.22–0.25; AW = 0.29–0.35. Measurements ex M. lincolnii (n = 2): TL = 1.28–1.40; HL = 0.33–0.34; HW = 0.25; PRW = 0.16; PTW = 0.23; AW = 0.35–0.36.

Female. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Figure 15B View Figure 15 ; ps present on abdominal segment III. Lateral margins of proximal subgenital plate slightly concave to roughly parallel ( Figure 16E View Figure 16 ), with narrow connection to cross-piece. Vulval margin gently rounded to slightly flattened medially ( Figure 16E View Figure 16 ), with 3–4 short, slender vms and 4–6 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 ex Melospiza melodia (n = 37): TL = 1. 54–1.75 (1.65); HL = 0.35–0.39 (0.37); HW = 0.28–0.40 (0.30); PRW = 0.17–0.19 (0.18); PTW = 0.26–0.29 (0.28); AW = 0.28–0.42 (0.35). Measurements ex M. lincolnii (n = 15): TL = 1.55–1.74 (1.64); HL = 0.35–0.38 (0.37); HW = 0.27–0.30 (0.29); PRW = 0.17–0.19 (0.18); PTW = 0.26–0.29 (0.27); AW = 0.38–0.42 (0.40). Measurements ex M. georgiana (n = 1): TL = 1.75; HL = 0.36; HW = 0.27; PRW = 0.19; PTW = 0.27; AW = 0.38.

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the generic name of the three hosts, genus Melospiza Baird, 1858 .

Material examined

Ex Melospiza melodia fallax : Holotype ♂, Arizona [ United States], Mar. 1939, R. Meinertzhagen , 13,123–26 ( NHML) [marked with black circle on slide] . Paratypes. 11♂, 44♀, same data as holotype ( NHML); 2♀, Basswood Lake , Minnesota, United States, 15 July 1959, J . R. Beer ( UMSP); 3♂, 2♀, same data except 16 July 1959 ( UMSP) .

Ex Melospiza georgiana . 1♀, McCormick Place , Chicago, Cook County, Illinois [ United States], 5 May 2005, J .D. Weckstein , FMNH05-070 View Materials , JDW05-002, FMNH-INS 0000 028 102, voucher specimen for sequence Brsp . Mege .6.27.2006.17 ( FMNH).

Ex Melospiza lincolnii . 2♂, 15♀, Dugway, Tooele County, Utah, Unites States , 25 May 1971, E . & E. Branch, D.P.G., 71-0-0008 (PIPeR); 1♀, Sewerline, vicinity of Dugway , Tooele County, Utah, United States, 15 April 1953, W .G. Denzer, 192-B-175 (PIPeR); 1♀, 4 miles NE of Camelback Mountain, vicinity of Dugway , Tooele County, Utah, United States, 13 April 1953, R .D. Porter, 222-B-160 (PIPeR).

Remarks

Brueelia melospizae was represented in the phylogeny of Bush et al. (2016) by a specimen from M. georgiana (specimen 59, clade I-1, Figure 3e View Figure 3 ). This specimen was placed close to specimens from Geothlypis trichas ( Linnaeus, 1766) , M. lincolnii, Seiurus aurocapilla ( Linnaeus 1766) , and Icterus galbula ( Linnaeus 1758) . Other specimens of Brueelia from S. auricapilla we have examined are not conspecific with B. melospizae , and all other specimens from Icterus spp. we have examined belong to the ornatissima group, which morphologically different from all species treated here. We have seen no additional specimens from G. trichas . It, therefore, cannot be excluded that these specimens from G. trichas , S. aurocapilla , and I. galbula are stragglers. However, the closest relative of B. melospizae in the Bush et al. (2016) phylogeny is Brueelia anamariae Cicchino 1980 , which is also morphologically different from B. melospizae . This may suggest that morphological similarity is not always a good predictor of close relationships in Brueelia . We do not presently include any host species other than Melospiza spp. as hosts of B. melospizae . More specimens are needed to determine whether Brueelia melospizae occurs naturally on other hosts, or if these records are the result of e.g. straggling.

R

Departamento de Geologia, Universidad de Chile

NHML

Natural History Museum, Tripoli

UMSP

University of Minnesota Insect Collection

FMNH

Field Museum of Natural History

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Phthiraptera

Family

Philopteridae

Genus

Brueelia

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