Columbicola obliteratus Tendeiro, 1980

Adams, Richard J., Price, Roger D. & Clayton, Dale H., 2005, Taxonomic revision of Old World members of the feather louse genus Columbicola (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera), including descriptions of eight new species, Journal of Natural History 39 (41), pp. 3545-3618 : 3606-3608

Columbicola obliteratus Tendeiro

( Figure 189 ) Columbicola obliteratus Tendeiro 1980: 38 . Type host: Columba larvata Temminck.

Description

Male head as in Figure 189 , elongate without posterior medial head setae; transverse anterior suture covered by dorsoanterior head plate; HW, 0.24; HL, 0.52; HL/HW, 2.17. Thorax with PW, 0.18; MW, 0.23. Body elongate. Each side of metanotum with 2 long, 2 short setae. TL, 2.06. Female similar to male, differing in dimensions: HW, 0.26; HL, 0.56; HL/HW, 2.15. Thorax with PW, 0.20; MW, 0.26. TL, 2.47.

Remarks

Tendeiro (1980) described this louse based on a male and female pair of poorly mounted specimens from Muana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were recorded as being deposited in the Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tevuren, Belgium, but we were unable to obtain them for study. All measurements were taken from Tendeiro (1980). Figure 189 was redrawn from his Figure in order to facilitate identification. The distinguishing features of this louse are the complete lack of PMHS, and ‘‘obliteration’’ of the transverse anterior suture by the dorsoanterior head plate. The genitalia are poorly defined, with the only description of the male genitalia commenting on its elongate parameres, mesosome, and sclerotized lateral structures. The female subgenital plate groove was described as elongate, narrow anteriorly, and widening posteriorly.

Columbicola fradei has also been recorded from C. larvata , but it differs in head chaetotaxy, as well as the structure of the genitalia. Tendeiro (1980) originally placed C. obliteratus in the columbae group, but he subsequently left it out of the columbae complex ( Tendeiro 1984).

Columbicola seta (Piaget)

Nirmus seta Piaget 1880: 667. Type host: Muscicapa sp. ( Passeriformes : Muscicapidae ).

Remarks

According to Hopkins and Clay (1952), the type specimen of this species is an unidentifiable Columbicola nymph. We therefore consider this name to be a nomen dubium.

Columbicola menura (Le Souëf and Bullen)

Lipeurus menura Le Souëf and Bullen 1902: 157 . Type host: Menura novaehollandiae Latham ( Passeriformes : Menuridae ).

Remarks

The series from which this louse was described has been lost and, unfortunately, neither the figure nor the written description is adequate to allow conclusive identification. For this reason, we support Tendeiro’s (1965) declaration of this species as a nomen dubium.

Figures

Figures 165–189. Columbicola davisae: (165) female ventral terminalia. C. insularis: (166) female dorsal head. C. elbeli: (167) male genitalia; (168) female ventral terminalia. C. phoenicopterae: (169) male genitalia; (170) female ventral terminalia. C. sphenurus: (171) male genitalia. C. wardi: (172) male genitalia; (173) female ventral terminalia. C. emersoni: (174) male dorsal head; (175) female dorsal head; (176) male genitalia; (177) female ventral terminalia. C. wecksteini: (178) male dorsal head; (179) female dorsal head; (180) male genitalia; (181) female ventral terminalia. C. curtus: (182) male dorsal head; (183) female dorsal head (missing antennae); (184) male genitalia. C. brygooi: (185) male genitalia; (186) female ventral terminalia. C. juliusriemeri: (187) male dorsal head; (188) male genitalia. C. obliteratus: (189) male dorsal head.