Brueelia schoddei, Mey, 2017

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Bush, Sarah E. & Palma, Ricardo L., 2019, The genera and species of the Brueelia - complex (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) described by Mey (2017), Zootaxa 4615 (2), pp. 252-284 : 266-269

Plesionirmus schoddei Mey, 2017

Plesionirmus schoddei Mey, 2017: 144 , fig. 70, pl. XI: figs 2–4.

Brueelia schoddei ( Mey, 2017) . New combination, species inquirenda.

Type host: Manorina melanocephala (Latham, 1801) —Noisy miner.

Type locality: Dresden , Germany (captive host) .

Remarks. The male genitalia of Plesionirmus schoddei are erroneously illustrated, with the mesosome artificially fused to the basal plate proximally. The shape of the proximal mesosome is often useful for determining relationships among species of Brueelia . The omission of this character makes it difficult to ascertain whether P. schoddei is a species of a hitherto unknown group within Brueelia from honeyeaters or a straggler/contaminant.

The photographs of P. schoddei ( Mey 2017: pl. XI: figs 2–4) show the finger-like extension of the median margin of the ventral carinae (part of Mey’s “clypeopulvinus”). This character is usually found in species of Brueelia from bulbuls (family Pycnonotidae ) (see Gustafsson & Bush 2017: 53). Considering that the type specimens of P. schoddei were collected from a captive bird, the type host species may be in error and it is likely that the natural host of P. schoddei is a bulbul. No Brueelia sensu stricto has been found in any documented samples from wild-caught honeyeaters (family Meliphagidae ), and species of the Brueelia sensu stricto are generally very rare in Australia. However, Mey (2017: 145) mentions an additional female specimen of “ Plesionirmus sp.” taken from Manorina melanocephala in South Australia. No bulbuls are native to Australia, but the red-whiskered bulbul, Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus, 1758) , has been introduced to South Australia ( Paton 1985). Therefore, despite being from two separate collection events, we cannot rule out that all specimens of Plesionirmus examined by Mey are stragglers.

We consider this species a species inquirenda until a more thorough description of the type specimens is published.