Craspedorrhynchus obsoletus, Gustafsson & Tian & Ren & Li & Sun & Zou, 2024

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Tian, Chunpo, Ren, Mengjiao, Li, Zhu, Sun, Xiuling & Zou, Fasheng, 2024, Two new species of Craspedorrhynchus Kéler, 1938, (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) from Chinese birds of prey (Accipitriformes), Journal of Natural History 58 (13 - 16), pp. 491-510 : 498-504

Craspedorrhynchus obsoletus sp. n.

( Figures 7–12 )

Type host

Nisaetus nipalensis Hodgson, 1836 – mountain hawk-eagle [uncertain].

Type locality

Jianou, Fujian Province, China.

Diagnosis. In the incomplete key of Perez and Martin-Mateo (1995), Craspedorrhynchus obsoletus sp. n. keys to Craspedorrhynchus fraterculus Eichler and Złotorzycka, 1975 , based on the shape and chaetotaxy of the male subgenital plate. Craspedorrhynchus fraterculus has been partially illustrated by Eichler and Złotorzycka (1975), Martín Mateo and Rivas (1982), and Gállego et al. (1987), but all these illustrations are inadequate; for instance, the abdominal chaetotaxy and details of the male genitalia are not included. Moreover, the illustrations of Martín Mateo and Rivas (1982) and Gállego et al. (1987) and presumably the key of Perez and Martin-Mateo (1995) are based on specimens from a non-type host, Aquila adalberti Brehm, 1861 . Due to the inadequate original illustrations of C. fraterculus , it is presently impossible to say whether the species on A. adalberti is conspecific with the population on the type host, Aquila heliaca Savigny, 1809 .

The holotype of C. fraterculus is deposited at the Museum of Natural History, University of Wroclaw, Poland ( Jałoszynski et al. 2014), but could not be examined during the preparation of this manuscript. Mey (2001) stated that 11 paratypes were in the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, but as no paratypes were mentioned by Eichler and Złotorzycka (1975), these specimens have no type status. A re-examination of the type specimens is necessary to establish whether the species living on A. adalberti is conspecific with that on A. heliaca , and whether the characters listed here are sufficient to tell them apart from C. obsoletus . Based on the illustrations of the type series of C. fraterculus by Eichler and Złotorzycka (1975), this species can be separated from C. obsoletus by the following characters: dorsal anterior plate with different shape in C. fraterculus than in C. obsoletus ( Figure 9 ); preantennal head probably proportionally shorter and broader in C. fraterculus than in C. obsoletus ( Figure 9 ); dorsal plates of mesosome apparently medianly divided and with median parts near-parallel throughout, with anterior and posterior projections close together in C. fraterculus , but medianly continuous, with median margins distally divergent, and with proximal and distal projections widely separated in C. obsoletus ( Figure 10 ).

We also compare our material of C. obsoletus with both the species illustrated by Martín Mateo and Rivas (1982) and Gállego et al. (1987), and with Sichuan specimens from the BMNH identified on the slide labels as C. fraterculus , with the host listed as ‘eagle’. Several eagles, including A. heliaca , occur in Sichuan. These two sets of specimens are not conspecific, but it is unclear, based on the original description of C. fraterculus , which of them is conspecific with this species.

Craspedorrhynchus obsoletus can be separated from C. fraterculus [sensu Martín Mateo and Rivas (1982) and Gállego et al. (1987)] by the following combination of characters: preantennal head proportionately longer and narrower in C. obsoletus ( Figure 9 ) than in C. fraterculus ; male subgenital plate with antero-lateral extensions broad and somewhat triangular in C. obsoletus ( Figure 7 ), but smaller, irregular, and connected to the main plate by a narrow neck in C. fraterculus ; lateral accessory sternal plates present on male abdominal segments V–VIII in C. obsoletus ( Figure 7 ), but absent in C. fraterculus ; male subgenital plate with 1 macroseta on anterior margin on both sides in C. fraterculus , but apparently without such setae in C. obsoletus ( Figure 7 ); male and female abdominal chaetotaxy was not clearly illustrated or discussed by either Martín Mateo and Rivas (1982) or Gállego et al. (1987), but at least male tergopleurites III and V, and female tergopleurites IV–VII appear to have fewer tergocentral setae in C. fraterculus than in C. obsoletus ( Figs 7–8 ); basal apodeme with median thickening in C. obsoletus ( Figure 11 ), but without such thickening in C. fraterculus ; ventral sclerites of mesosome extended distally to overlap with projecting distal ends of dorsal sclerites in C. fraterculus , but shorter, blunter, and not overlapping with dorsal plates in C. obsoletus ( Figure 11 ); female vulval chaetotaxy not given in detail by Martín Mateo and Rivas (1982) and Gállego et al. (1987), but appears to overlap at least partially with that of C. obsoletus .

Craspedorrhynchus obsoletus can be separated from C. fraterculus [sensu BMNH specimens] by the following combination of characters: preantennal head proportionately narrower in C. obsoletus ( Figure 9 ) than in C. fraterculus ; lateral accessory sternal plates present on male abdominal segments V–VIII and female abdominal segment VII in C. obsoletus ( Figs 7–8 ), but absent in C. fraterculus ; pronotum divided medianly in C. obsoletus ( Figs 7–8 ), but undivided in C. fraterculus ; principal post-spiracular setae present on male tergopleurite III in C. obsoletus ( Figure 7 ), but absent in C. fraterculus ; female tergopleurite IX+X with more or less straight anterior margin in C. obsoletus ( Figure 8 ), but with strongly convex anterior margin in C. fraterculus ; basal apodeme with median thickening in C. obsoletus ( Figure 11 ), but without such thickening in C. fraterculus ; dorsal sclerites of mesosome fused at proximal end in C. obsoletus ( Figure 10 ), but separate in C. fraterculus ; distal ends of dorsal sclerites of mesosome project farther beyond margin of mesosome and whole plate has different shape in C. obsoletus ( Figure 10 ) than in C. fraterculus ; proximal ends of ventral sclerites of mesosome in C. fraterculus clearly separated medianly, but whole area unclear due to consistent but asymmetrical fragmentation of sclerite in C. obsoletus ( Figure 11 ); parameres shorter and more strongly curved in C. obsoletus ( Figure 10 ) than in C. fraterculus .

Description. Head rounded trapezoidal, preantennal head longer than postantennal head ( Figure 9 ); frons concave. Dorsal anterior plate with shallowly concave anterior margin, irregularly rounded lateral margins, and broadly elongated posterior part. Head chaetotaxy as in Figure 9 ; postnodal seta absent. Eye somewhat triangular, but not much extended distally. Thoracic and abdominal segments and chaetotaxy as in Figs 7–8 . Lateral accessory sternal plates present on male abdominal segments V–VIII and female abdominal segment VII. Male dorsal abdominal chaetotaxy: principal post-spiracular setae present on tergopleurites III–VII; tergopleurites II–III with 5–6 more or less equally long macrosetae on each side; tergopleurites IV–VI with 3 setae on each side, with wide median gap between setae; tergopleurite VII with 4–5 mesosetae centrally on each side; tergopleurite VIII with 3 mesosetae centrally on each side. Female dorsal abdominal chaetotaxy: principal post-spiracular setae present on tergopleurites III–VII; tergopleurites II–IV with 6–8 more or less equally long macrosetae on each side; tergopleurites V–VIII with 4–5 more or less equally long macrosetae on each side. Male subgenital plate with antero-lateral corners extended into broad-based, triangular projection; chaetotaxy: apparently no setae on anterior margin, 1 macroseta on each side in anterior end, 4–5 macrosetae on each side in posterior end. Basal apodeme narrowing proximally ( Figs 10–11 ), with median thickening. Dorsal plates of mesosome as in Figure 10 , fused proximally. Ventral mesosomal plates with broad distal recurved part, and proximal part unclear, dissolved into small scales or platelets medianly. Mesosomal lobes hooked distally. Gonopore broad, widened proximally. Parameres long, strongly curved. Female subgenital plates curved laterally, with irregular margins but no fragmented sclerotisation medianly ( Figure 12 ). Vulval margin slightly concave with 4–6 long, slender vms, 5–7 slender and 3–5 thorn-like vss, 6–8 (one female with 9 on one side and 11 on the other) thorn-like and (in anterior end) 3–4 slender vos on each side. Subvulval plates broadly rectangular with postero-median section slightly extended, and with 9–12 mesosetae in tufts on each side. Measurements as in Table 1 .

Etymology

The specific name is derived from ‘ obsoletus ’, Latin for ‘worn out’, referring to the fragmented and unclear central part of the ventral mesosomal plates.

Specimens examined

Holotype ♂, Jianou , Fujian Province, China, 7 January 1997, no collector, box E0026206, slide 94 ( BMNH) [only male on middle row of slide, marked with black dot] . Paratypes: 8♂, 13♀, same data as holotype, box E0026206, slides 94, 96 ( BMNH) . Non-types: 4 specimens of undeterminable sex due to partial destruction of the bodies, box E0026206, slide 96 ( BMNH) .

Remarks. The Chinese characters of the slide labels are not clearly legible, and the host species given here therefore needs confirmation. Price et al. (2003) listed Craspedorrhynchus nipalensis Eichler, 1944 , from this host species, but according to Mey (2001), the host from which Eichler (1944) collected his samples is actually the species today called Aquila rapax vindhiana Franklin, 1831 . Mey (2001) designated this as a type host species. As Craspedorrhynchus nipalensis has never been adequately described or illustrated in full, it is presently impossible to verify this by comparison with other material from A. r. vindhiana . However, the illustration of the head of C. nipalensis published by Mey (2001) shows that this species is at least not the same as Craspedorrhynchus obsoletus .

Yoshino et al. (2012) reported an unidentified species of Craspedorrhynchus from Nisaetus nipalensis (as Spizaetus nipalensis ) from Japan. These specimens may also represent C. obsoletus , but cannot be identified from the published photo of the female.

Figures

Figure 7. Craspedorrhynchus obsolectus new species, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Figure 8. Craspedorrhynchus obsoletus new species, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Figure 9-12. Craspedorrhynchus obsoletus new species. 9, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 10, male genitalia, dorsal view. 11, male genitalia, ventral view. 12, female subgenital plate, vulval margin, and post-vulval area, ventral view.