Brueelia alophoixi, Sychra

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Najer, Tomas, Zou, Fasheng & Bush, Sarah E., 2022, The ischnoceran chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) of bulbuls (Aves: Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae), with descriptions of 18 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 800, pp. 1-88 : 31

Brueelia alophoixi species group

Diagnosis

Species in the Brueelia alophoixi species group can be distinguished from other species of Brueelia by the following combination of characters: post-antennal head sensillum s4 present ( Fig. 52 ); thumb-like projection from the ventral carina into the clypeo-labral suture anteriorly ( Fig. 52 ); ss present on female tergopleurite VIII ( Fig. 51 ); lateral and median folds of the distal mesosome absent ( Fig. 55 ).

Geographical distribution

Africa, and South and East Asia.

Host associations

All species except one are known from hosts in the Pycnonotidae (see below).

Remarks

Mey & Barker (2014: 79) mention a Brueelia guldum species group, which they defined as “narrowheaded”. No other species was included in this guldum -group, which was only compared with species now placed in Guimaraesiella (see above). Not all morphological characters defining the Br. alophoixi species group can be seen in the illustrations of Br. guldum Ansari, 1955 ( Ansari 1958a) , and we only tentatively include this species in the Br. alophoixi species group. For this reason, we here refer to the group of Brueelia living on bulbuls as the Br. alophoixi species group here.

The specimens of the Brueelia alophoixi species group included in the phylogeny of Bush et al. (2016: fig. 3e, clade I-2) formed a monophyletic group with good support. This included both specimens from African and Asian hosts, reinforcing the morphological similarity among Brueelia species from bulbuls in both faunal regions.

Figures

Figs 52–56. Brueelia doisuthepensis sp. nov. 52. Male head, dorsal and ventral views. 53. Male genitalia, dorsal view. 54. Male paramere, dorsal view. 55. Male mesosome, ventral view. 56. Female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view. Abbreviations: ads = anterior dorsal seta; dsms = dorsal submarginal seta; mts1–3 = marginal temporal seta 1–3; pmes = posterior mesosomal seta; pos = preocular seta; pst1–2 = parameral setae 1–2; s4 = postantennal head sensillum 4; vms = vulval marginal setae; vos = vulval oblique setae; vss = vulval submarginal setae.

Figs 50–51. Brueelia doisuthepensis sp. nov. 50. Male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 51. Female habitus, dorsal and ventral views. Abbreviations: aps = accessory post-spiracular seta; ps = paratergal seta; ss = sutural seta; sts = sternal seta; tps = tergal posterior seta.