Columbicola browni, Adams & Price & Clayton, 2005

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 : 3562-3564

Columbicola browni n. sp.

( Figures 39–42 )

Type host

Columba arquatrix Temminck.

Description

Similar to C. meinertzhageni , differing as follows. Male head as in Figure 39 ; long medioposterior setae extending distinctly beyond posterior head margin; APW, 0.122 –0.142 (0.135); HW, 0.25–0.29 (0.273); HL, 0.55–0.62 (0.590); HL/ HW, 2.10–2.20 (2.16). Genitalia with parameres more rounded ( Figure 41 ); GW, 0.118 –0.122 (0.121). TL, 2.33– 2.55 (2.43). Female head as in Figure 40 ; APW, 0.142 –0.147 (0.146); HW, 0.29–0.30 (0.295); HL, 0.62–0.67 (0.647); HL/ HW, 2.14–2.23 (2.19). Ventral terminalia as in Figure 42 ; subgenital plate with longer setae (0.015 –0.025) on each side. TL, 2.72–2.88 (2.80) .

Type material

Holotype male at BMNH, ex C. arquatrix , Kenya, Jan 1936, 6185.6135 . Paratypes at BMNH, 5 males, 4 females, same data as holotype .

Remarks

The individuals used to describe C. browni were originally part of the paratype series for C. meinertzhageni . They are differentiated by larger overall body proportions and, in the case of females, much longer subgenital plate setae. The dimensions of a much smaller male specimen with a constricted dorsoanterior head plate were not included in the above description, despite the fact that the specimen is mounted on the same microslide as the others. The morphology of this specimen places it well within the range of C. meinertzhageni . The fact that two species of lice are mounted on the same slide is evidence of co-occurrence on a single host individual or, perhaps more likely, contamination of lice from different host individuals.

Etymology

This species is named for Paul Brown, The Natural History Museum, London, England, in appreciation of his assistance lending us the large number of specimens required for this study.

Columbicola meridionalis Tendeiro

( Figures 43–46 )

Columbicola meinertzhageni meridionalis Tendeiro 1959: 680 . Type host: Streptopelia c. capicola (Sundevall) .

Description

Male head as in Figure 43 ; APW, 0.127 –0.132 (0.130); HW, 0.26–0.28 (0.27); HL, 0.54; HL/ HW, 1.93–2.08 (2.00). Thorax with PW, 0.22–0.23 (0.223); MW, 0.27–0.28 (0.273). Genitalia as in Figure 45 ; GW, 0.098 –0.103 (0.100). TL, 2.16. Female head as in Figure 44 ; APW, 0.142; HW, 0.27; HL, 0.59–0.60; HL/ HW, 2.18–2.22. Thorax with PW, 0.22–0.23; MW, 0.28. Ventral terminalia as in Figure 46 ; subgenital plate with medium to long setae (0.015 –0.030) on each side. TL, 2.50–2.52 .

Material

Holotype male, allotype female, 1 male, 1 female paratypes of C. m. meridionalis , ex S. c. capicola , Republic of South Africa (2).

Remarks

This species combines the small dimensions of C. meinertzhageni with the longer subgenital plate setae of C. browni .

Columbicola longantennatus Tendeiro

( Figure 47 )

Columbicola meinertzhageni longantennatus Tendeiro 1959: 684 . Type host: Treron sanctithomae (J. F. Gmelin) .

Description

Exceptionally large. Male head as in Figure 47 ; APW, 0.137; HW, 0.33; HL, 0.62; HL/ HW, 1.88; SL, 0.167. Thorax with PW, 0.28; MW, 0.34. Genitalia similar to C. meinertzhageni ; GW, 0.142. TL, 2.69. Female unknown.

Material

Holotype male, ex T. sanctithomae , Isla de São Tomé (1).

Remarks

The description of this louse was originally based on a single male specimen that we have also examined. Its genitalia are largely obscured by debris in the body, making detailed study impossible. However, sufficient detail is visible to show that the genitalia are similar to those of C. meinertzhageni , while dimensions of the genitalia and other features of this louse are much larger than those of C. meinertzhageni .

Figures

Figures 19–39. Columbicola tschulyschman: (19) male genitalia; (20) female dorsal head; (21) female ventral terminalia. C. turturis: (22) male genitalia; (23) female ventral terminalia. C. keleri: (24) male genitalia; (25) female ventral terminalia. C. guimaraesi: (26) male dorsal head; (27) male genitalia; (28) female dorsal head; (29) female ventral terminalia. C. grandiusculus: (30) male dorsal head; (31) male genitalia; (32) female ventral terminalia. C. vitiensis: (33) male genitalia; (34) female ventral terminalia. C. meinertzhageni: (35) male dorsal head; (36) female dorsal head; (37) male genitalia; (38) female ventral terminalia. C. browni: (39) male dorsal head.

Figures 40–57. Columbicola browni: (40) female dorsal head; (41) male genitalia; (42) female ventral terminalia. C. meridionalis: (43) male dorsal head; (44) female dorsal head; (45) male genitalia; (46) female ventral terminalia. C. longantennatus: (47) male dorsal head. C. streptopeliae: (48) male dorsal head; (49) male clypeus; (50) female dorsal head; (51) female ventral terminalia; (52) male genitalia. C. capicolae: (53) male dorsal head; (54) male clypeus; (55) female dorsal head. C. oenae: (56) male dorsal head; (57) male clypeus.