Callopsylla (Orneacus) waterstoni (Jordan, 1925)

Pilgrim, Robert L. C. & Galloway, Terry D., 2003, Descriptions of flea larvae (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae, Leptopsyllidae) found in nests of the House Martin, Delichon urbica (Aves: Hirundinidae), in Great Britain, Journal of Natural History 37 (4), pp. 473-502 : 488-492

Callopsylla (Orneacus) waterstoni (Jordan, 1925)

(figures 23, 24, 27–29)

Description

Head (figure 27): Widest posteriorly, slightly wider than long in slide-mounted specimens; head capsule covered with fine, polygonal reticulation, most obvious over gular regions. Coronal suture short, branching into two frontal sutures that become faint towards the antennal mounds.

Setation: there are normally 17 acicular setae on each side of the head capsule. Parietals (par.): outermost approximately one and a half times as long as innermost, innermost reaching beyond anterior margin of Th. I; middle parietal minute, usually slightly anterior to the other parietals. Occipitals minute: anterior (a.occ.) on posterior margin of head capsule, posterior (p.occ.) just behind. Frontal (fr.) slender, reaching to alveolus of outermost par. Inter-antennal (i-ant.) very short and fine. Clypeals: medial (m.cl.) slightly longer than basal diameter of antennal shaft; lateral (l.cl.) nearly the length of antennal shaft. Post-antennal (p-ant.) length approximately that of m.cl. Genals: posterior (p.gen.) long, slender, about as long as outermost par.; anterior (a.gen.) short, barely surpassing alveolus of p.gen. Sub-genal (s-gen.) long, slender, about two-thirds length of p.gen. Post-clypeal (p-cl.) very short, about as long as i-ant. Post-mandibular (p-man.) long, slender, reaching alveolus of s-gen. Post-maxillary (p-max.) very short, about equal to m.cl. Para-gular (pa-gul.) long, slender, reaching beyond ventral margin of head. In addition, there are three cervical setae (cer.) immediately posterior to the ventro-lateral margin of the head capsule.

Sensillation: there are normally 20 sensilla on each side of the head capsule; positions variable, but typically as in figure 27.

Labrum: a broadly semicircular disc, projecting antero-ventrally. Dorsal (anterior) face smooth, gradually becoming reticulate in front; each half with one long seta and four setae of which three are very short and one is longer and stouter; one small, anterior basiconic sensillum, one longer, stouter basiconic sensillum, one campaniform sensillum near the base of the long seta. The anteriormost basiconic sensilla may appear on the ventral surface, especially in isolated mouthparts. There is a single, somewhat larger campaniform sensillum (?) medially. Ventral (oral) face with a dense patch of short spines posteromedially, rather sparse anteriorly, and a small patch of fine spines laterally; each half with four basiconic sensilla submedially in an irregular row, and two campaniform sensilla among the spines.

view. (29) Abdominal segments 8–10, ventral view. Setae: v, (outer) ventral; v (inner)

1 2

ventral. Scale bars: (27) 0.1 mm; (28) 0.05; (29) 0.3 mm.

Mandible (figure 28): with 10–13 distinct marginal teeth, distal tooth largest; two setae basally, one long, one minute; two campaniform sensilla above the setae.

Maxilla: with a long, slender basal apodeme directed posteriorly. Cardo: ventral surface with one long and one short seta, and a campaniform sensillum near each; one campaniform sensillum on sclerotized ring between cardo and stipes. Stipes: ventral surface with one short seta; four basiconic sensilla along and among the marginal spines; dorsal surface with a dense patch of short, stout spines medially, extending over margin to ventral surface, one campaniform sensillum among the spines; spines shorter on the blunt antero-lateral lobe. Maxillary palp of two cylindrical segments: basal segment with one small seta and one campaniform sensillum ventrally; distal segment about half the diameter of basal segment, truncate, with four minute, terminal, basiconic sensilla.

Hypopharynx: an elongated lobe extending anteriorly between the maxillae; tip deflected ventrally, with a pair of minute setae.

Labial palp: very short, cylindrical; with four processes, two short and stout, two about twice as long, slender.

Antenna: shaft: cylindrical and elongated, basal third slightly swollen; sense organ near apex, apparently with two internal chambers; a single, long axial seta, less than half the length of antennal shaft; a corona of four basiconic sensilla. Mound: papillae a, b, a, b and a, together with c and d, subtending approximately 150° along 1 1 2 2 3

lateral aspect; e on medial side of mound; papillae, type B of Bacot and Ridewood (1914), a –a short (# 15 m m), conical, often with short terminal filament; b and

1 3 1

b much shorter than a –a.

2 1 3

Thorax

Th. I. D covering much of dorsal surface, reaching over sides of segment. Spiracle at an indentation at postero-lateral edge of D.

Setation: anterior row: five slender setae; a and a very short, a and a short, 1 2 3 5

a longest; a and a much stouter; a –a on D. Posterior row: D with three long, 4 4 5 1 3

slender setae, d, d and d; VL with one seta, vl, as long as d; V with one seta, 1 2 3 3

v, about half the length of vl. One ventral micro-seta anterodorsal to vl, near margin of the segment.

Sensillation: D with two sensilla in each of anterior and posterior rows, medially of a, a and of d, d.

1 2 1 2

Th. II–III. D limited to dorsal surface; DL present. No spiracles.

Setation: anterior row: five slender setae; a and a short and slender, a –a 1 2 3 5 longer, stouter. Posterior row: d, d, dl and vl long and slender, reaching posterior 1 2

margin of next segment; v short, two-thirds to three-quarters length of vl. Microsetae: an irregular row of six towards the anterior margin of each segment.

Sensillation: D with one sensillum in anterior row, medially of a; two sensilla 1

in posterior row as for Th. I.

Abdomen Ab. 1–7. D narrower than on Th.II–III. Spiracle in an indentation of anteromedial margin of DL. Setation and sensillation: anterior row of six setae: a and a short, slender, a –a

1 2 3 6 longer, stouter; a on D, lateral to sensillum, length more than half the distance to

1 alveolus of d; a antero-ventral to spiracle; a slightly anterior to a and a; a

1 2 3 2 4 5 between VL and V; a slightly medial to V. Posterior row: d very long, reaching

6 1 beyond next segment; d, d and dl approximately equal in length, vl shorter; v

1 2 1 approximately equal to length of vl; v less than half the length of v. Micro-setae:

2 1

an irregular row of five towards the anterior margin of each segment. Sensilla as in Th. II–III.

Ab. 8 (figure 29). D as on Ab. 1–7. Spiracle as on Ab. 1–7.

Setation and sensillation: anterior row of six slender setae, a –a, relative positions 1 6

of a and a –a as on Ab. 1–7, but a antero-dorsal to spiracle. Posterior row: d 1 3 6 2 1 and d somewhat thicker than on previous segments, very long, reaching beyond 2

tips of anal struts; dl slightly shorter, reaching tips of anal struts; vl long, reaching to mid-length of Ab. 9; V with two v setae, v slightly shorter than vl, more than 1

twice the length of v. Micro-setae and sensilla as on Ab. 1–7.

2

Ab. 9 (figure 29). D as on Ab. 1–8. No spiracle.

Setation and sensillation: anterior row of five slender setae, a –a; positions of 1 5

a and a as on Ab. 1–8, a between DL and VL, a between VL and V, a directly 1 2 3 4 5 anterior to, or slightly medial of, V. Posterior row: d, d, d and dl stout and 1 2 3

extremely long, extending well beyond tips of anal struts; vl shorter, extending to base of anal strut; V plate usually with two v setae—in 28 larvae (56 intact V plates) among all instars, v was absent unilaterally in four specimens. Seta v reaching 2 1

nearly to base of anal struts, about twice the length of v. Three microsetae near 2

anterior margin of segment; one dorsal approximately in line with a, two ventral 1 approximately in line with a, a. Sensilla as on Ab. 1–8.

4 5

Ab. 10 (figure 29). With two weakly sclerotized, dorso-lateral plates which almost meet mid-dorsally, and a single median ventral plate. No spiracle.

Setation and sensillation: each side with three stout ventro-lateral setae (v-l): two on dorso-lateral plate, upper seta reaching or surpassing tip of anal strut, lower seta reaching almost to tip of strut; one on ventral plate reaching about mid-length of strut; one micro-seta near anterior margin of dorso-lateral plate; antero-ventral seta (a-v) variable in length, usually reaching nearly to alveolus of nearest v-l; postctenidial seta (p-ct) very short, slender, just behind lateral portion of anal comb. Anal comb of two discrete rows: anterior row of usually four (three to five) short setae each side; posterior row of seven (six to nine) short setae on each side. One sensillum anterior to a-v.

Anal strut and anal mound: strut finger-like, tip bluntly rounded, slightly curved ventrally; a lightly sclerotized strip on dorsal surface, extending forward on to anal mound; one sensillum on ventral surface of each strut; each mound usually with nine (7–10) short setae in an irregular double row.

First instar larva

Egg burster (figures 23, 24): approximately one-third the length of head capsule, rear end at posterior margin of head capsule; broadly oval, lightly reticulate at rear; a blunt egg tooth towards front end.

Antenna: shaft uniform in diameter, shorter than in later instars, but axial seta more than half the shaft length.

Material examined

UK. Scotland, Grampian: Collieston, NK 0328, 28 September 1987, ex D. urbica nests on sea cliff, D. K. Mardon and R. W. Marriott, 2 L (+1 W; also adult and

II–III larva Ce. hirundinis , adults and larvae Ce. rusticus , adults Ce. f. farreni , adults and larvae F. laeta ); Sands of Forvie Nature Reserve, ca NK0227, 16 October 1991, ex D. urbica nests on sea cliff, G. M. Dunnet, 8 L, 16 L, 3 L exuviae ex cocoons

I II-III III containing 3 WW Ca. waterstoni (+large numbers of adults; also adults and larvae Ce. rusticus , adults and larvae F. laeta ); North Broadhaven Bay, NK0328, 3 October

1994, ex D. urbica nests on sea cliff, R. M. Laing, 1 L, 2 L exuviae ex cocoons II-III III

containing 2 WW Ca. waterstoni (+large numbers of adults; also adults and larvae

Ce. rusticus , adults and larvae F. laeta ).

Remarks

Callopsylla waterstoni has a disjunct distribution in southern portions of the ranges of its primary hosts, D. urbica and Delichon dasypus (Bonaparte) , from Scotland and Eire to Japan (Haddow et al., 1983). It is found almost exclusively in nests constructed on cliffs along coastlines and in the mountains (Beaucournu and Launay, 1990), except in Japan, where it has been collected from nests of D. dasypus on buildings (Sakaguti, 1962).

There are 27 species in the genus Callopsylla , in five subgenera (Lewis, 1990, 1998), but there is little information on their larvae. Goncharov et al. (1988) provided a key to larvae of some genera of Ceratophyllidae , including Callopsylla , but it is not possible to identify Ca. (O.) waterstoni using their key. They concluded that the antennal shaft in Callopsylla larvae (probably subgenus Callopsylla , though this was not specified) was much longer than the mandible. This character does not hold true for Ca. (O.) watersoni , in which the mandible is longer than the antennal shaft. Their ‘inner seta of the first row on the dorsum of the head’ (?=our frontal seta) is longer than the antennal shaft in Ca. waterstoni , but it is not ‘... equal to the distance between them... [the antennae]’. Ye and Yu (1986: figure 1k; Plate V, 26, 27; Plate VIII, 44, 45) and Ye (1990: figures 26a.33, 26b.13) illustrated the egg burster of Ca. (Callopsylla) caspia (Ioff and Argyropulo, 1934) ; Xiao and Wang (1988: figure 1.6) and Wang (1988: figure 3t) illustrated the egg burster of Ca. (Ca.) dolabris (Jordan and Rothschild, 1911) . In each of these accounts, the egg burster is shown as sole-shaped and the hatching spine well forward, in contrast to Ca. (O.) waterstoni , in which the egg burster is more oval and barely constricted in its posterior half, and the hatching spine does not extend to the front margin of the egg burster. Xiao and Wang (1988) and Wang (1988) provided descriptions of the dorsal head capsule, mandible, long setae of the trunk segments, and setation of Ab. 10 for Ca. (Ca.) dolabris larvae. It is clear from the illustration in Xiao and Wang (1988: figure 1.4) that there is only a single pair of v setae on Ab. 9 but, from their formula for setae in the posterior row of the other trunk segments (using the pattern set by Wang, 1988: table 1), we can only presume that there is single pair of v setae on Ab. 8.

We have examined 1 L, 15 L of Ca. (Ca.) caspia , all of which lack v on Ab. I II-III 2

8 and 9 (except unilaterally on one L). We have also examined 7 L of Ca. III II–III (Geminopsylla) gypaetina Peus, 1978 , all of which lack seta v on Ab. 8 (except 2

unilaterally on one specimen). Neither Ca. (Ca.) caspia nor Ca. (G.) gypaetina had setae v on Ab. 9. The possibility thus remains that the presence of seta v on both 2 2

Ab. 8 and Ab. 9 is, within the genus Callopsylla s. l., confined to the subgenus Orneacus . The presence of two pairs of v setae on each of Ab. 8 and Ab. 9 in Ca. (O.) waterstoni is unusual for the Ceratophyllidae ; it is currently known only in Mioctenopsylla Rothschild, 1922 (we have seen M. arctica arctica Rothschild, 1922 , M. traubi traubi Holland and Jellison, 1952 and M. t. kurilensis Violovich, 1961), and in Ceratophyllus (Ce.) styx riparius Jordan and Rothschild, 1920 and Ce. s. freyi (see Pilgrim and Galloway, 2000).