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
Traihoriella
Ansari, 1947
Nirmus
Nitzsch, 1818
: 291
(
in partim
).
Brueelia
Kéler, 1936a
: 257
(
in partim
).
Traihoriella
Ansari, 1947
: 290
.
Type species.
Traihoriella punjabensis
Ansari, 1947
: 290
, by original designation.
Diagnosis.
The male genitalia of
Traihoriella
(
Figs 266–268
,
273–275
) are similar to those of
Harpactrox
n. gen.
(
Figs 249–251
, 256–258), and may not be separable when more species of both genera have been examined and described. However, species in these genera are readily separated by non-genitalic characters; see
Harpactrox
(above) for a more detailed comparison of unique non-genitalic characters in these two genera.
Traihoriella
share the following set of characters with
Corvonirmus
,
Priceiella
n. gen.
, and
Olivinirmus
: parameral heads folded medianly; marginal carina uninterrupted but displaced at osculum and frons hyaline. These genera, however, differ in several characteristics.
In
Priceiella
(
Figs 284
,
291
,
306
,
314
) the female subgenital plate flares into a cross-piece at vulval margin, which is not present in
Traihoriella
(
Figs 269
,
276
). Furthermore, in
Priceiella
(
Figs 282
,
289
,
304
,
312
) the gonopore is located in the central part of the ventral side, whereas in
Traihoriella
it is subterminal (
Figs 267
,
274
).
In
Olivinirmus
(
Figs 327–328
),
tps
are absent and
aps
are present in roughly the same segments as in
Traihoriella
, and the preantennal structure is largely the same in both genera, including the absence of dorsal preantennal sutures (
Figs 265
,
272
, 329). The female subgenital plate does not flare into a cross-piece in either genus (
Figs 269
,
276
, 333). The mesosome is more complex in
Olivinirmus
(
Figs 334–337
) than in
Traihoriella
(
Figs 266–268
,
273–275
); gonopore is terminal in
Traihoriella
but central in
Olivinirmus
; rugose nodi are typically present in
Olivinirmus
but absent in
Traihoriella
.
Corvonirmus
is similar to
Traihoriella
in the preantennal area, but there are few similarities elsewhere. In most
Corvonirmus
(
Fig. 321
) the antennae are sexually dimorphic, but this is never the case in
Traihoriella
(
Figs 265
,
272
). Both
ps,
aps
, psps
, and
ss
occur in more anterior segments in
Corvonirmus
than in
Traihoriella
(
Table 2
), and
tps
are present in male
Corvonirmus
(
Fig. 319
) but absent in male
Traihoriella
(
Figs 263
,
270
); in addition, both sexes of
Corvonirmus
have multiple
sts
on at least segments IV–VI, whereas no segments have more than one
sts
in
Traihoriella
. Pleurites continue to ventral side of abdomen, and are associated with broad pleural incrassations in
Traihoriella
(
Figs 263–264
,
270–271
) but do not or only barely reach lateral margins, but not the ventral side, and are much reduced, generally without incrassations, in
Corvonirmus
(
Figs 319–320
). The female subgenital plate of
Corvonirmus
flares into a cross-piece or have lateral submarginal extensions (
Fig. 326
), but this is not the case in
Traihoriella
(
Figs 269
,
276
). The male genitalia of both genera (
Figs 266–268
,
273–275
,
323–325
) have medianly folded parameral heads,
pst1–2
as sensilla, and relatively simple mesosomes. Parameral blades in
Corvonirmus
(
Fig. 325
) are much elongated, and connected to parameral heads by a narrow neck, whereas in
Traihoriella
(
Figs 268
,
275
) the parameral blades do not narrow near the parameral heads, and are not as elongated.
Description.
Both sexes
. Head trapezoidal (
Traihoriella punjabensis
species-group,
Fig. 265
) or indenteddome shaped (
Tr
.
laticeps
species-group,
Fig. 272
). Marginal carina uninterrupted, deeply displaced dorsally and posteriorly at osculum. Dorsal preantennal suture, dorsal anterior plate, and ventral anterior plate absent. Ventral carinae diffuse anterior to pulvinus, and not clearly continuous with marginal carina. Head setae as in
Figs 265
,
272
;
as3
absent;
pns
sensillus, often hard to see. Preantennal nodi conspicuous
in
Tr
.
laticeps
species-group, less so in
Tr
.
punjabensis
species-group. Coni short, slender. Antennae monomorphic. Temporal carinae not visible;
mts
3
only macrosetae. Gular plate broadly spade-shaped.
Prothorax rounded rectangular (
Figs 263–264
,
270–271
);
ppss
on postero-lateral corner. Proepimera with hammer-shaped median ends. Pterothorax pentagonal; lateral margins divergent; posterior margin convergent to median point or rounded;
mms
widely interrupted medianly. Meso- and metasterna not fused; mesosternum with 1 seta on postero-lateral corner on each side; metasternum with 1–2 setae on each postero-lateral corner. Metepisterna with large, blunt median ends. Leg chaetotaxy as in
Fig. 25
, except
fI-v4, fI-p2
absent, except in
Traihoriella latifrons
;
tI-v2
and
tIp1–2
dorsal.
Abdomen (
Figs 263–264
,
270–271
) oval, more rounded in
Traihoriella laticeps
species-group than in
Tr
.
punjabensis
species-group. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in
Tables 2
and
7
. Tergopleurites and sternal plates generally weakly pigmented, rounded rectangular; tergopleurites II–IX+X in male and tergopleurites II–VIII in female narrowly to moderately divide medianly. Sternal plates rectangular, not approaching pleurites. Pleural incrassations broad, in some species reaching median to spiracle openings (
Figs 270–271
). Re-entrant heads large in
Tr
.
punjabensis
species-group (
Figs 263–264
), but small
in
Tr
.
laticeps
species-group (
Figs 270–271
).
Male
subgenital plate roughly triangular, reaching posterior margin of abdomen. Female subgenital plate pentagonal, reaching vulval margin but not flaring into cross-piece (
Figs 269
,
276
). Vulval margin (
Figs 269
,
276
) with slender
vms
, thorn-like
vss
;
vos
situated on subgenital plate, following lateral margins; distal
vos
median to
vss
.
Basal apodeme (
Figs 266
,
273
) rounded trapezoidal, narrowing distally. Shape of proximal mesosome varies between species. Gonopore (
Figs 267
,
274
) terminal, prominent, either closed or only narrowly open distally. Mesosomal lobes slight, rounded or angular; 2–3
pmes
microsetae lateral to gonopore on each side. Parameral heads (
Figs 268
,
275
) large, irregularly shaped. Parameral blades slender;
pst1–2
sensilla, near distal tip.
TABLE 7.
Chaetotaxy of abdominal segments II–VIII of the three species of
Traihoriella
. Trichoid setae of segment VIII are present in all species, and are not listed. Sets of setae differing from those of
Tr. punjabensis
are highlighted in
bold
. Material examined from all species is from their respective type hosts. Abbreviations:
aps
= accessory postspiracular seta;
psps
= principal post-spiracular seta;
ps
= paratergal seta;
ss
= sutural seta;
sts
= sternal seta;
tps
= tergal posterior seta.
Species Sex
ps
aps
psps
tps
ss sts
Tr. punjabensis
M IV–VIII V–VII IV–VII – V–VIII II–VI F IV–VIII – IV–VII – VII–VIII II–VI
Tr. binhchauensis
M IV–VIII – IV–VII –
VI–VIII
II–VI F IV–VIII – IV–VII –
VI–VIII
II–VI
Tr. laticeps
M IV–VIII – IV–VII –
II–VIII
II–VI F IV–VIII – IV–VII –
II–VIII
II–VI
Species-group characters:
Two species groups are recognised based on abdominal chaetotaxy, head shape, and host relationships, as follows:
Traihoriella punjabensis
species-group
(
Figs 263–269
). Head trapezoidal;
fI-v4
absent;
ss
absent on abdominal segments II–IV in both sexes; re-entrant heads of pleurites present. Hosts: Asian
Megalaimidae
.
Traihoriella latifrons
species-group
(
Figs 270–276
). Head indented-dome shaped;
fI-v4
present;
ss
present on abdominal segments II–IV in both sexes; re-entrant heads of pleurites absent. Hosts: Neotropical
Ramphastidae
.
Host distribution.
Occurs disjunctly on two families of tropical
Piciformes
, the South American
Ramphastidae
on the genera
Aulacorhynchus
and
Andigena
and the Asian
Megalaimidae
on the genus
Psilopogon
[given as
Megalaima
in Bush
et al
. (2016)
]. There are no known records of this genus—or any other genus in the
Brueelia
-complex—from South American Barbets (
Capitonidae
) or African Barbets (
Lybiidae
).
Geographical range.
Disjunctly in South America
and
South-East
Asia.
Remarks.
Three species of
Traihoriella
were included in the phylogeny of Bush
et al
. (2016). Two other genera (
Saepocephalum
n. gen.
and
Bizarrifrons
Eichler, 1938
) appeared within the clade containing
Traihoriella
in the phylogeny of Bush
et al
. (2016). However, these phylogenetic relationships were not statistically supported, and they are not supported by morphological characters. All three genera have very different abdominal chaetotaxy, preantennal structure, male genitalia, and other characters. Within
Traihoriella
there is substantial variation in head shape and abdominal chaetotaxy, yet the species in this genus are strongly allied by similarities in the male genitalia and structural similarities in their preantennal areas.
A
more comprehensive understanding of the relationships of these three genera will require additional material and research.
Included species
Traihoriella punjabensis
species-group
*
Traihoriella binhchauensis
(Najer & Sychra [in
Najer
et al
.], 2014
): 423
n. comb.
[in
Brueelia
]
*
Traihoriella punjabensis
Ansari, 1947
: 290
Traihoriella laticeps
species-group
Traihoriella carrikeri
(
Ansari, 1955a: 51
)
n. comb.
[in
Brueelia
]
[1]
*
Traihoriella laticeps
(
Piaget, 1888: 152
)
n. comb.
[in
Nirmus
]
Brueelia laticeps prasinus
Carriker, 1954
: 199
[1]
Mey & Barker (2014)
suggested that
Brueelia carrikeri
Ansari, 1955b
, may be a member of
Traihoriella
. The illustrations that
Ansari (1955b)
provided indicate that the species belongs in
Traihoriella
, and in the
laticeps
species group. However, the illustration of the full-body and vulval margin are from a different host species than the holotype of
Br
.
carrikeri
, and
Ansari (1955a: 52)
was himself not certain that the two samples were the same species. His illustrations of the male genitalia (
Ansari, 1955a
, figs 1b–d) are very similar to those of
Tr
.
laticeps
, but as no clear illustration of the male was provided. Therefore, we do not presently place the name
Br
.
carrikeri
as a synonym of
Tr
.
laticeps
. The illustrated female [ex
Turdus olivater sanctaemartae
(Todd, 1913)
] is indistinguishable from
Tr
.
laticeps
in abdominal and vulval chaetotaxy, head shape, and the wide pleural incrassations, but has a cross-piece at the vulval margin, which is not seen in
Traihoriella
. We have not examined any material of
Br. carrikeri
, and cannot confirm whether this cross-piece exists in the material Ansari studied, nor can we confirm to which genus the holotype belongs. We tentatively agree with
Mey & Barker (2014)
and place
Br
.
carrikeri
in
Traihoriella
based on the original description and illustrations, as well as Ansari’s (1955a) statement that the illustrated female “closely resembles” the male.