Morphological revision of the hyperdiverse Brueelia - complex (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) with new taxa, checklists and generic key
Author
Bush, Sarah E.
text
Zootaxa
2017
2017-08-31
4313
1
1
443
journal article
32249
10.11646/zootaxa.4313.1.1
d8cc2cd8-8410-49aa-a75d-7a41d9f52b26
1175-5326
883161
A5Fdfba5-F992-44A8-84C2-1756C943C19B
Ceratocista
Gustafsson & Bush
,
new genus
Brueelia
Kéler, 1936a
: 257
(
in partim
).
Type species.
Brueelia antennatus
Ansari, 1956a
: 139
Diagnosis.
Ceratocista
n. gen.
(
Figs 153–160
) is most similar to
Resartor
n. gen.
(
Figs 161–167
), and these two genera share the following characteristics:
pos
and
pns
absent;
tps
absent in both sexes; marginal carina interrupted only submedianly and displaced section at osculum forms nail-like thickening of dorsal anterior plate; female subgenital plate flares into medianly displaced cross-piece; proximal mesosome slender; parameral blades slenderly triangular, somewhat extended distally; female tergopleurite IX+X fused with tergopleurite XI; sternal plate VI of both sexes with 2
sts
. However, antennae are sexually dimorphic in
Ceratocista
(
Figs 155–156
) but not in
Resartor
(
Fig. 163
), and while
ss
are present on male tergopleurites II–VIII in
Resartor
(
Fig. 161
), these are present only on tergopleurites VII–VIII in
Ceratocista
(
Fig. 153
). In both genera the mesosomal lobes are extended laterally to overlap dorsally with the parameres, but
Resartor
(
Fig. 165
) does not have the large postero-lateral brush-like extensions of these lobes found in
Ceratocista
(
Figs 157–158
), nor are the antero-lateral triangular sections of the lobes found in
Ceratocista
present in the male genitalia of
Resartor
. The frons is clearly hyaline in
Resartor
(
Fig. 163
), whereas in
Ceratocista
it is pale but apparently sceloritzed but translucent (
Fig. 155
). Ventral anterior plate absent in
Resartor
(
Fig. 163
) but present in
Ceratocista
(
Fig. 155
).
The lateral extensions of the mesosomal lobes in
Ceratocista
are similar to those found in
Psammonirmus
n. gen.
(
Fig. 150
), but the differences between these two genera are substantial, and have been listed under
Psammonirmus
.
Description.
Both sexes
. Head narrow, concave-dome shaped (
Fig. 155
). Marginal carina broad, interrupted submedianly. Displaced section forms nail-like marginal carinal plate at osculum, delimited posteriorly by sinuous ridge. Dorsal preantennal suture arises from interruptions of marginal carina, not medianly continuous and not reaching
ads
or
dsms
. Ventral carinae with finger-like median protrusion; carinae diffuse anterior to pulvinus. Ventral anterior plate present. Head setae
Fig. 155
;
avs2
much shorter than
avs3
;
pos
and
pns
absent. Antennae sexually dimorphic, with male scape (
Fig. 155
) much elongated and thicker than female scape (
Fig. 156
). Temporal carinae not visible;
mts
3
only macrosetae. Gular plate roughly triangular.
Prothorax rectangular (
Figs 153–154
);
ppss
on postero-lateral corner. Proepimera hammer-shaped medianly. Pterothorax pentagonal; lateral margins divergent and posterior margin convergent to median point (
Figs 153–154
). Meso- and metasterna not fused, one seta on postero-lateral corner on each side of each plate. Metepisterna hammer-shaped medianly.
mms
moderately interrupted medianly. Leg chaetotaxy as in
Fig. 25
, except
fI-p2, fI-v4
absent.
Abdomen (
Figs 153–154
) broadly oval, much stockier in male than in female. Terminal end of abdomen rounded in male, deeply divided in female. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in
Table 2
. Tergopleurites II–IX+X in male and tergopleurites II–VIII in females narrowly divided medianly, rectangular, but more posterior tergopleurites in males triangular. Female tergopleurite IX+X fused to tergopleurite XI. Sternal plates medianly continuous, rectangular, approaching but not reaching pleurites. Pleural incrassations with dorsal and ventral median margins. Re-entrant heads moderate to large.
Male
subgenital plate triangular with lateral indentation on segment IX+X. Female subgenital plate trapezoidal (
Fig. 160
), reaching vulval margin where it flares into a medianly displaced cross-piece.
Male
genitalia as in
Figs 157–159
. Proximal mesosome slender, elongated. Gonopore open only distally. Mesosomal lobes large, overlapping with parameres dorsally, fringed on distal margin. 3
ames
anterior to gonopore. Parameral heads blunt, with accessory sclerite. Parameral blades slenderly triangular;
pst1–2
both sensilla, submarginal.
Host distribution.
Ceratocista
is presently known only from a single host species of the genus
Grammatoptila
Reichenbach, 1872
, in the family
Timaliidae
.
Geographical distribution.
Presently known only from
South
Asia.
Etymology.
Ceratocista
is formed by Greek “
kérato
” for “horn” and Latin “
cista
” for “chest”, referring both to the box-shaped head and the prominent male antennae (
Fig. 155
) of the only known species of this genus. Gender: feminine.
Included species
*
Ceratocista antennata
(
Ansari, 1956a: 139
)
n. comb.
[in
Brueelia
]