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
Nirmus nudus
Giebel, 1874
Type host.
Seleucidis melanoleuca
(Daudin, 1800)
—twelve-wired bird-of-paradise.
Remarks.
Nirmus nudus
Giebel, 1879
was described as being “without any particularly striking peculiarities” (
Giebel 1879: 475
), distinguishable from the most similar species only by its short and overall very sparse hairs. Unfortunately, the species considered “most similar” was not identified by Giebel. Also, the
type
/s is/are lost making it impossible to know what
Nirmus nudus
was, or whether it is synonymous with
Guimaraesiella setifer
(
Piaget, 1880
)
from another bird-of-paradise species.
Almost all of the lice of the Brueelia-complex examined by us from birds-of-paradise belong to species of
Guimaraesiella
. In the absence of an actual specimen we cannot establish whether Giebel’s (1879) observation that the setae are very sparse is the actual condition of this louse, or a result of poor preservation, as is so often the case in oldslide- mounted lice. With only an extremely vague description, no illustration, and no remaining specimens, this species must be considered
incertae sedis
.