Research Article |
Corresponding author: Michel Valim ( mpvalim@gmail.com ) Academic editor: Vincent Smith
© 2015 Michel Valim, Armando Cicchino.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Valim MP, Cicchino AC (2015) A remarkable new genus and a new species of chewing louse (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera, Philopteridae) from Brazil. ZooKeys 541: 57-70. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.541.6022
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A new genus of chewing louse asBobdalgleishia, and its type species Bobdalgleishia stephanophallus sp. n. (Phthiraptera) belonging to the Brueelia-complex (Ischnocera: Philopteridae) are described. Adults of the new species are fully described, illustrated and compared morphologically with the type species of Motmotnirmus Mey & Barker, 2014, which is its closest relative. The type host of B. stephanophallus is a subspecies of the great jacamar Jacamerops aureus ridgwayi Todd, 1943, an endemic Amazonian bird distributed in northern Brazil, and the type locality is the State of Pará. Bobdalgleishia is a remarkable genus with unique morphological and chaetotaxic characters which readily separate it from other members of the Brueelia-complex, in particular by having the first two marginal temporal and ocular setae very long.
Brueelia-complex, Bobdalgleishia , Jacamar, Galbulidae , Ischnocera , new genus, new species, Neotropical
The known chewing lice of the family Philopteridae (Ischnocera) parasitic on Galbuliformes (Aves) are six species of the genus Mayriphilopterus Mey, 2004 (Philopterus-complex) (
Among the genera belonging to the Brueelia-complex (Philopteridaesensu lato), some have a worldwide distribution, while others are geographically endemic and/or with host distribution restricted to certain host group (
The specimens examined for the descriptions of the new taxa were collected from a bird skin held at the
The nomenclature of louse head features and setae follows
Abbreviations used for both body and head setae and sensilla are given in italic and lower case (see
Images were taken using a Leica DFC295 digital camera installed at a Leica DM5000 B optical microscope, and measurements of specimens were taken using the software Leica Application Suite (LAS) v.4.1.0. Measurements are in millimeters, and identified by the following abbreviations: ANW anterior notch width (from tips of marginal carina), PAW preantennal width (at level of
Currently, this complex comprises 17 named genus-group taxa. A full account of the morphology and discussions on the genera included in this complex can be found in
Bobdalgleishia stephanophallus Valim & Cicchino, sp. n.
Bobdalgleishia is morphologically close to Motmotnirmus (from Momotidae hosts), being the only members of the Brueelia-complex with mts2 very long (subequal to mts3) on the temporal margin, and with sternal segments II–VI lacking sclerotization and with more than one pair of setae. All other genera of this complex have only the mts3 very long and the sternites usually bear one pair of setae each. However, both sexes of Bobdalgleishia can be distinguished from those of Motmotnirmus, as well as from those of all other genera of the Brueelia-complex, by having os and mts1–3 very long, and postspiracular present on segment II. In both sexes of Motmotnirmus only mts2 and mts3 are very long, the os and mts1 are very short (see Fig.
Bobdalgleishia is distinct from the type species of Brueeliasensu stricto at first glance by (1) the as2, as3 and dsms set on the hyaline margin, not on the sclerotised portion of the head; (2) presence of as3; (3) os and mts1–2 are macrochaeta. Furthermore, the type species of Bobdalgleishia is the only member of the Brueelia-complex having, in both sexes, (1) four long setae on the temple margin: os and mts1–3; (2) pos short and set on eye lens; (3) one pair of anterior setae on tergite II; and (4) sterna II–VI with more than one pair of setae and lacking sclerotized plates. In addition, females lack the cross-piece on the vulvar margin, and their tergite XI is fused with IX+X.
Both sexes.Head: Antennal scape and flagellomeres not enlarged; preantennal region short and tapered, conspicuously symmetric (Figs
Bobdalgleishia stephanophallus: A male head in dorso-vental views B male genitalia, mesosome in dorso-ventral views C female terminalia (VI–XI), in dorso-ventral views. Motmotnirmus marginellus D male head in dorso-ventral views E male genitalia, mesosome in ventral view, detail of mesosomal plate in dorsal view F female terminalia (VI–XI), in dorso-ventral views. Abbreviations: gn, gonopore; mes, mesosome; sp, spine-like seta of the gonapophyses; IX, X, XI, last three female abdominal tergites (9th to 11th) [for other abbreviations, see methods].
Thorax: As in Figs
Abdomen: Similar in both sexes (Figs
Male. Antennal scape and flageromeres not enlarged, as in females. Subgenital plate faintly delimited and with two pairs of setae at level of sternite VII. Tergal plates IX+X fused, distinct and medially divided, tergite XI indistinct or non-sclerotized. Genitalia as in Fig.
Female. Subgenital plate smooth (Fig.
Named in honor to the late and personal friend Robert [Bob] C. Dalgleish (1940–2009) for his special disposition to listen and learn from those who disagree with him on taxonomic issues. Bob was an example of how a taxonomist might make a huge contribution in a relatively short period of time, less than ten years in his second life period of “lousying” with us (his first was during 1966–1972). It is a noun in the singular genitive, masculine.
Jacamerops aureus ridgwayi Todd, 1943 – great jacamar [ridgwayi] (Galbulidae).
Alto Rio Cururu, Pará, Brazil.
Bobdalgleishia stephanophallus can be easily separated from the four species of the genus Motmotnirmus (M. marginellus (Nitzsch [in Giebel], 1866) the type species; M. xilitla (Carriker, 1954); M. guatemalensis (Dalgleish, 1971), and M. humphreyi (Oniki & Emerson, 1982)) by the generic characters discussed above, i.e. head chaetotaxy (compare Figs
Male. Habitus as in Figs
Headas in Figs
Thoraxas in Figs
Abdomenas in Figs
Genitalia as in Fig.
Measurements (n = 2): ANW 0.10; PAW 0.39–0.40; TW 0.51–0.53; HL 0.45–0.47; PW 0.24–0.25; PL 0.13–0.14; PEW 0.35–0.36; PEL 0.13–0.15; AWV 0.51–0.54; AL 0.98–1.07; BAW 0.07–0.09; BPW 0.05–0.07; MEW 0.05; PRW 0.02–0.03; PAW 0.02; BAL 0.16; MEL 0.08–0.09; PAL 0.11–0.12; BAMEL 0.24–0.25; GL 0.26–0.28; TL 1.64–1.70.
Female. Habitus and coloration similar to males (Figs
Pterothorax with 6+5 (11 in total) marginal setae on each side. Tergites II–VIII divided medially, with internal end nearly rounded. Paratergal chaetotaxy: II–III 0; IV–V 2; VI–VIII 3. Sternal plates as in males (Fig.
Subgenital plate indistinct in the single female studied, with 2–3 small setae on each side (Fig.
Measurements (n = 1): ANW 0.10; PAW 0.45; TW 0.59; HL 0.50; PW 0.27; PL 0.15; PEW 0.40; PEL 0.15; AWV 0.62; AL 1.26; TL 1.94.
The species epithet is a composite of the Greek words Στέφανο (stephano-) and φαλλός (-phallus), which mean ‘a crown’ and ‘the penis’. It makes allusion to the crowned structure on the opening of the male gonopore. It is an adjective in the nominative singular.
Holotype ♂ (
Motmotnirmus marginellus (Nitzsch [in Giebel], 1866): 3♂, 3♀ (
The morphological differences between the single species of Bobdalgleishia and those of Motmotnirmus are congruent with the evolutionary history of their host groups: Galbuliformes and Coraciiformes, respectively (e.g.
Considering that the Piciformes are also included in the same large group asGalbuliformes and Coraciiformes (e.g.,
Although museum skins are good source of bird ectoparasites (
We thank Marcos A. Raposo (Curator, Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Luís F. Silveira (Curator, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil) for allowing MPV to collect ectoparasites from great jacamar skins held at ornithological collections in