New taxa, new synonymies and new host records in the louse genus Halipeurus (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) parasitic on petrels (Aves: Procellariiformes)
Author
Palma, Ricardo L.
text
Zootaxa
2011
3017
1
45
journal article
46391
10.5281/zenodo.278615
f7eca13b-06ff-4573-960b-0a8a51de239d
1175-5326
278615
Halipeurus pricei
Palma
,
new species
(
Figs 4
,
13–15
,
29
,
44
,
65
)
Halipeurus
(
Halipeurus
)
sp.;
Pilgrim & Palma, 1982
: 9
.
Halipeurus
(
Halipeurus
)
sp.;
Watling, 1986
: 66
.
TYPE
HOST
:
Pterodroma brevipes brevipes
(Peale, 1848)
.
TYPE
LOCALITY: Rarotonga
Island
,
Cook Islands
, Pacific Ocean.
HOLOTYPE
:
3 in
MONZ
.
DIAGNOSIS:
Male
: habitus as in
Fig. 13
; clypeal signature as in
Fig. 4
; terminalia (ventral view) as in
Fig. 29
; genitalia as in
Fig. 65
. Female: habitus as in
Fig. 14
; clypeal signature as in
Fig. 15
; terminalia (ventral view) as in
Fig. 44
.
Measurements
of both sexes as in
Table 1
.
ETYMOLOGY: The species epithet is a noun in the genitive case honouring Professor Roger D. Price for his outstanding contribution to the systematics of
Phthiraptera
during the last 50 years, and for his friendship and collaboration during a great part of those years.
MATERIAL EXAMINED
Types
Ex
Pterodroma brevipes brevipes
:
Holotype
3 (
MONZ
,
AI
.023446), allotype Ƥ (
MONZ
,
AI
.023447) and 43, 9Ƥ
paratypes
, Rarotonga I., Cook Is,
26 Jul. 1984
, G. McCormack (
MONZ
). Other 21
paratypes
as follows: 63, 6Ƥ, Gau I.,
Fiji
,
1 May 1984
, D. Watling, DW-F602 (
MONZ
); 33, 2Ƥ, Raivavae I., Austral Group (Tubuai Is),
French Polynesia
,
Jul. 1992
, G. McCormack (
MONZ
); 13, 3Ƥ,
Viti
Levu I.,
Fiji
, no date, Macleay Museum B.4433 (
MONZ
).
Non-types
Ex
Pterodroma brevipes magnificens
Bretagnolle & Shirihai, 2010
: 13
, 3Ƥ, Mt Suretamatai, Vanua Lava I., Banks Is,
Vanuatu
,
7–8 Mar. 2011
, A.J.D. Tennyson (MONZ).
Ex
Pterodroma brevipes
(not identified to subspecies):
23, 30 miles
west of “Melapan” I. [probably Mera Lava I., Banks Is,
Vanuatu
;
fide
Imber & Tennyson 2001
: 123
], no date (AMNH).
FIGURES 13–14
.
Halipeurus pricei
:
13
, habitus of male holotype.
14
, habitus of female allotype. Scale = 1 mm.
FIGURES 15–19
.
Female clypeal signature
(hyaline margin omitted):
15
,
Halipeurus pricei
.
16
,
Halipeurus atlanticus
.
17
,
Halipeurus raphanus
.
18
,
Halipeurus fallacis
.
19
,
Halipeurus nesofregettae
.
Ex
Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera
(Gould, 1844)
: 23, 2Ƥ, Cabbage Tree I., New South
Wales
,
Australia
,
14– 15 Feb. 1977
, P.J. Fullagar (RLCP); 1Ƥ, Cabbage Tree I., New South
Wales
,
Australia
,
27 Nov. 1995
(MONZ). Ex
Pterodroma leucoptera caledonica
Imber & Jenkins, 1981
: 13
, 2Ƥ, Otaki Beach, N.Z.,
25 Jun. 1961
, P.C. Bull, DM 11377 (MONZ); 1Ƥ, Tasman Sea,
43o28’S-
163o55’E
,
3 Mar. 1965
, P.C. Harper, DM 11378 (MONZ); 2Ƥ, Titahi Bay, Wellington, N.Z.,
4 May 1973
, S.P.C.A., DM 17366 (MONZ); 43, 2Ƥ, Kalouehola River, Mt Dzumac (
550m
),
New Caledonia
,
19 Feb. 1978
, Greenway-Vuilleumier (MONZ); 73, 7Ƥ,
New Caledonia
,
Feb. 1994
, V. Bretagnolle (MONZ).
DISCUSSION: My examination of the
32 males
and
41 females
of
H. pricei
listed above shows no consistent morphological or size differences associated with the
Halipeurus
on any of the four hosts. The uniformity of the four populations of
H. pricei
is not unexpected considering the close relationship of its host taxa, which have been variously treated as full species or subspecies.
Pterodroma brevipes
was originally described as a full species, then treated as a subspecies of
Pterodroma leucoptera
for some years (
Jouanin & Mougin 1979
: 78,
Watling 1986
), and now is considered a full species by most authors (e.g. BirdLife International 2000: 56;
Watling 2001
: 186;
Bretagnolle & Shirihai 2010
), but as a subspecies of
Pterodroma leucoptera
by others (e.g.
Dickinson 2003
: 75). Although in this paper I follow the bird nomenclature in
Dickinson (2003)
, I have made an exception with this group of
Pterodroma
taxa and have adopted the taxonomy used by the Ornithological Society of
New Zealand
Checklist Committee (2010) and
Bretagnolle & Shirihai (2010)
.
Among the
Halipeurus
males with a very short sixth abdominal segment—i.e. all species except
Halipeurus marquesanus
(
Ferris, 1932
)
,
H. heraldicus
Timmermann, 1960
and
H. noctivagus
Timmermann, 1960
—
Halipeurus pricei
belongs to a group of small species with slender genitalia, thin parallel parameres, and without pigmented aedeagal sclerites. They are:
Halipeurus bulweriae
Timmermann, 1960
;
H. falsus falsus
Eichler, 1949
;
H. falsus pacificus
Edwards, 1961
;
H. forficulatus
Edwards, 1961
;
H. leucophryna
;
H. spadix spadix
Timmermann, 1961
and
H. spadix subclavus
Timmermann, 1961
. However, males of
H. pricei
can be distinguished from males of all of those species/subspecies by a number of characters, especially the short length of its parameres (see
Tables 1
and
2
), the shape of the clypeal signature, the shape and chaetotaxy of the ventral terminalia, and the length/width ratio of the head.
As
is the case with most
Halipeurus
species, females of
H. pricei
are much more difficult to separate than males; however, a detailed comparison of the shape of the clypeal signature and of the shape and chaetotaxy of the last two abdominal segments allows morphological separation of
H. pricei
females from those of the species mentioned above.