Couala angulata ( Piaget, 1880 ), 2017

Bush, Sarah E., 2017, Morphological revision of the hyperdiverse Brueelia - complex (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) with new taxa, checklists and generic key, Zootaxa 4313 (1), pp. 1-443 : 311-314

Couala angulata ( Piaget, 1880)

( Figs 518–523 )

Nirmus angulatus Piaget, 1880: 134 .

Degeeriella angulata ( Piaget, 1880) ; Harrison, 1916: 108. Brueelia angulata ( Piaget, 1880) ; Hopkins & Clay, 1952: 53.

Type host. Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan, 1763) — short-eared owl (in Error). Type locality. Zoological Garden, Rotterdam.

Other host. Coua caerulea (Linnaeus, 1766) —blue coua .

Description. Both sexes. Head shape, structure, and chaetotaxy as in genus description and Fig. 520 . Temples acutely angular, occiput deeply concave. Marginal and marginal temporal carinae very broad. Preantennal, preocular, and postocular nodi very large. Ventral carina broad and diffuse anterior to pulvinus. Coni long, reaching well beyond distal margin of scape. Lateral margin of antennal canal clearly demarcated, continuing to posterior margin of head, which it reaches just median to mts 3; median margin of antennal canal clearly demarcated for anterior fourth; mts 2 curved, spine-like, just lateral to mts 3, and clearly ventral. Gular plate pointed. Thoracic and abdominal segments as in genus description and Figs 518–519 .

Male. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 518 ) trapezoidal, narrowing at posterior extreme. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2 and Fig. 518 . Male genitalia ( Figs 521–522 ) distinct. Basal apodeme long, slender. Proximal mesosome fused to and not distinguishable from basal apodeme. Gonopore elongated, open distally, with anterior extension on ventral side ( Fig. 522 ). Mesosomal lobes large, quadratic, intensely papillate and rugose on dorsal surface and median, distal, and lateral margins; 2 ames sensilla on each side lateral to gonopore; 2 pmes microsetae on each side marginal on postero-lateral corner of rugose area on lobes, where the mesosome is fused to the parameres; pmes often hard to see due to papillation. Parameral heads ( Fig. 522 ) fused to postero-lateral mesosomal lobes, but lateral ends of heads not fused, angular. Parameral blades strongly curved, convergent; pst1–2 as in genus description. Measurements ex Coua caerulea (n = 22): TL = 1.17–1.30 (1.24); HL = 0.35–0.39 (0.37); HW = 0.42– 0.49 (0.45); PRW = 0.24–0.27 (0.25); PTW = 0.37–0.41 (0.39); AW = 0.49–0.61 (0.54).

Female. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2 and Fig. 519 . Subgenital plate broadly rounded trapezoidal ( Fig. 523 ), not approaching vulval margin. Vulval margin ( Fig. 523 ) with broad, rounded rectangular bulge medianly; 5– 8 large, spine-like vms on each side, and 3–5 minute vss on each side, restricted to median section of vulval margin; 4–5 long, slender vos; 1 vos median to vms, near vulval margin. Measurements ex Coua caerulea (n = 25): TL = 1.38–1.63 (1.50); HL = 0.40–0.44 (0.42); HW = 0.48–0.55 (0.51); PRW = 0.27–0.29 (0.28); PTW = 0.39–0.45 (0.41); AW = 0.52–0.68 (0.61).

Type material. Ex Asio otus : Holotype ♂, Piaget Collection, 1013 (NHML).

Additional material examined (non-types)

Ex Coua caerulea : 37♂, 38♀, Madagascar, R. Meinertzhagen, 16648 ( NHML).

Remarks. The type host was given by Piaget (1880: 135) as Strix flammea [= Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan, 1763) ] from the Zoological Garden in Rotterdam, but Asio flammeus does not occur in Madagascar, only Asio madagascariensis (A. Smith, 1834) . The holotype of Couala angulata is identical to material from Coua caerulea (Linnaeus, 1766) . Considering that all the hosts of species of Couala n. gen. are from Madagascar, we believe that either Piaget was mistaken about the host, or that contamination had occurred at the zoological garden.

Figures

FIGURE 518 – 519 Couala angulata (Piaget, 1880) n. comb. ex Coua caerulea: 518, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 519, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURES 520 – 523 Couala angulata (Piaget, 1880) n. comb. ex Coua caerulea: 520, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 521, male genitalia, dorsal view. 522, male mesosome and parameres, ventral view. 523, female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.