Traihoriella binhchauensis

Bush, Sarah E., 2017, Morphological revision of the hyperdiverse Brueelia - complex (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) with new taxa, checklists and generic key, Zootaxa 4313 (1), pp. 1-443 : 171-172

Traihoriella binhchauensis (Najer & Sychra [in Najer et al.], 2014), n. comb.

Brueelia binhchauensis Najer & Sychra [in Najer et al.], 2014: 423 .

Type host. Psilopogon lineatus hodgsoni (Bonaparte, 1850) — lineated barbet.

Type locality. “surroundings of the ranger station in the central part of the park [ Phuoc Buu National Park ]”, Binh Chau, Vung Tau Province, Dong Nam Bo Region, Vietnam.

Other hosts. Psilopogon asiaticus asiaticus (Latham, 1790) — blue-throated barbet new host record. Psilopogon asiaticus davisoni (Hume, 1877) blue-throated barbet new host record. Psilopogon faiostrictus praeternissus (Kloss, 1918) — green-eared barbet new host record. Psilopogon franklinii franklinii (Blyth, 1842) — golden-throated barbet new host record. Psilopogon haemocephalus indicus (Latham, 1790) — coppersmith barbet new host record. Psilopogon incognitus elbeli (Deignan, 1956) — moustached barbet new host record. Psilopogon monticola (Sharpe, 1889) — mountain barbet [Ref.: Bush et al. 2015]. Psilopogon mystacophanos mystacophanos (Temminck, 1824) — red-throated barbet [Ref.: Bush et al. 2015]. Psilopogon nuchalis (Gould, 1863) — Taiwan barbet new host record. Psilopogon oorti (Muller, 1836) — black-browed barbet new host record.

Material examined (non-types). Ex Psilopogon asiaticus asiaticus [as Megalaima asiatica ]: 2♂, 3♀, Naga Hills, Kohima, Assam, India, 29 Jan. 1952, R. Meinertzhagen, 19884, BM 1952-143 (NHML); 1♂, 5♀, “captive bird”, India, 1965, R.S. Balter, Brit. Mus. 1969-101 (NHML).

Ex Psilopogon asiaticus davisoni [as Megalaima asiatica laurentii ]: 1♂, Ban Khok Phu Nam Lang Mountains, Na Phung, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, Thailand, 28 May 1955, R.E. Elbel, RE-5386, 25759 (NHML).

Ex Psilopogon faiostrictus praeternissus [as Megalaima faiostricta praeternissa ]: 2♂, Ban Nong Wai, Na Phung, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, Thailand, 16 Nov. 1954, R.E. Elbel, RE-4266, RT-B-31026, 24760 (NHML).

Ex Psilopogon franklinii franklinii [as Megalaima franklinii ]: 2♂, 2♀, Shiwandashan National Park, Guanxi Province, China, 6 May 2005, [S.E.] Bush & [D.H.] Clayton, Host MBR-6770, lice P-1045 (PIPeR). 2♂, 2♀, same locality and collectors, 1 May 2005, host MBR-6743, lice P-752 (PIPeR).

Ex Psilopogon haemocephalus indicus [as Megalaima haemocephala indica ]: 1♀, Chiang Saen Kao, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, 16 Feb. 1953, R.E. Elbel & H.G. Deignan, RE-2275, RT-B-17782 (NHML).

Ex Psilopogon incognitus elbeli [as Megalaima incognita elbeli ]: 1♀, Ban Muang Khai, Tha Li District, Loei Province, Thailand, 7 Jan. 1955, [R.E. Elbel?,] RE-4399, RT-B-31063, 24758 (NHML).

Ex Psilopogon lineatus hodgsoni [as Cyanops lineata hodgsoni or Megalaima zeylanica hodgsoni ]: 1♂, 2♀, Myitkyina, [Kachin State,], Myanmar, 22 Dec. 1944, H.S. Fuller, 129, Brit. Mus. 1947-321 (NHML); 3♂, 2♀, Myitkyina, [Kachin State,] Myanmar, 2 Feb. 1945, USA Typhus Comm[and?] (NHML); 1♂, 1♀, same locality and collector as previous, 10 Apr. 1945 (NHML); 4♂, 3♀, Slok Bat, Khong Phai, Kamphaeng-Phet Province, Thailand, 19 Jun. 1953, R.E. Elbel, RE-2681, RT-B-21626, 24762–3 on reverse (NHML).

Ex Psilopogon nuchalis : 6♂, 9♀, “ Liukuei ”, Taiwan, T.C. Maa, TMT-1599, 1634, 1964, 1978–80, 2107–8 ( UMSP) ; 1♀, Tzepeng Taitung Hsien, Taiwan, Jan–Feb 1964, T.C. Maa, TMT-982 ( UMSP) .

Ex Psilopogon oorti : 3♂, 2♀, Gunong Benom , elev. 3600 ft, Pahang State, Malaysia, 14 Mar. 1967, BN-342, Brit. Mus. 1967-400 ( NHML).

Remarks. We have examined material of Traihoriella from a large number of barbets across South-East Asia, and find these to be Traihoriella binhchauensis (Najer & Sychra [in Najer et al.], 2014). The phylogenetic reconstruction of Bush et al. (2016) showed that material of Tr. binhchauensis from three different host species were genetically similar. Bush et al. (2016) also showed that Tr. binhchauensis was genetically distinct from Tr. punjabensis , although these species are morphologically very similar. There is considerable morphological variation within Tr. binhchauensis , e.g. lice from southern hosts generally have smaller heads than material from northern hosts (paralleling the case in Acronirmus gracilis ). The hosts are all relatively closely related ( Tex & Leonard 2013). The apparent lack of divergence between Tr. binhchauensis populations on different Psilopgon hosts may suggest ongoing geneflow between lice on different hosts, possibly through shared nest holes or through phoresy.

Contrary to the taxonomic relationships proposed by Najer et al. (2014), Traihoriella binhchauensis is not closely related to other Vietnamese species of the Brueelia -complex. Brueelia alophoixi Sychra [in Sychra et al.], 2009, and Brueelia elbeli Ansari, 1957b [= Br. acutangulata ( Piaget, 1880) ], are here retained in Brueelia s. str., whereas Brueelia glandarii ( Denny, 1842) is placed in Olivinirmus .

In addition to the characters given by Najer et al. (2014), Traihoriella binhchauensis (Najer & Sychra [in Najer et al.], 2014) is most easily separated from Tr. punjabensis by the lack of aps on male tergopleurites V–VII in Tr. binhchauensis , the much smaller head of Tr. binhchauensis , and differences in the shape of the proximal mesosome. Tr. punjabensis is most easily separated from Tr. latifrons by head shape. In most of the material we have examined from Psilopogon lineata hodgsoni female Tr. punjabensis do not have any psps on abdominal segment IV, but are otherwise similar; this character may or may not be taxonomically informative.