Nemuus hoedhri Gustafsson & Bush, 2017

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 : 212

Nemuus hoedhri Gustafsson & Bush , new species

( Figs 346–353 )

Type host. Artamus fuscus Vieillot, 1817 — ashy woodswallow.

Type locality. Khao Oerewan Mountains , Lopburi Province, Thailand.

Diagnosis. Nemuus hoedhri n. sp. is much paler than Ne. imperator n. sp., and both sexes are easily told apart by head shape, pigmentation patterns, and the accessory sts present on segment II in Ne. hoedhri ( Figs 346–347 ) but not in Ne. imperator ( Figs 338–339 ).

Male Nemuus hoedhri is separated from male Ne. imperator by male genitalia: rugose area of ventral mesosome present in Ne. hoedhri ( Fig. 351 ) but absent in Ne. imperator ( Fig. 343 ); gonopore with lateral triangular extensions in distal half in Ne. imperator ( Fig. 343 ), but with hook-shaped anterior extensions in Ne. hoedhri ( Fig. 351 ); parameral heads truncated in Ne. hoedhri ( Fig. 352 ), but not in Ne. imperator ( Fig. 344 ); parameral blades blunt distally in Ne. hoedhri ( Fig. 352 ), but pointed distally in Ne. imperator ( Fig. 344 ).

Female Nemuus hoedhri is separated from female Ne. imperator by the following characters: tps absent on tergopleurites II–V in Ne. imperator ( Fig. 339 ), but present in Ne. hoedhri ( Fig. 347 ); indentation of posterior margin of the female subgenital plate reaches farther than mid-length in Ne. hoedhri ( Fig. 353 ) but only to about mid-length in Ne. imperator ( Fig. 345 ); vulval chaetotaxy with slight overlap, but Ne. hoedhri ( Fig. 353 ) generally with fewer vms (3–4) and vss (8–10) than Ne. imperator ( Fig. 345 ) (4–5 vms and 10–12 vss).

Description. Both sexes. Head shape, structure, and chaetotaxy as in genus description and Fig. 348 . Preantennal area not shortened. Frons distinctly concave. Dorsal anterior plate as long as or longer than wide. Head largely translucent, but at least nodi, mandibular framework, gular plate, and occipital and ventral carinae with pale brown pigmentation. Thoracic and abdominal segments as in genus description and Figs 346–347 . Body largely translucent, but proepimera, metepisterna, pleurites, sternal plates, and subgenital plates with pale brown pigmentation.

Male. Scape swollen ( Fig. 348 ). Subgenital plate with irregular lateral margins but no prominent lateral indentation at half-length. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2 and Fig. 346 . Basal apodeme not notched anteriorly ( Fig. 350 ). Proximal mesosome with irregular, somewhat rounded anterior margin, not overlapping with basal apodeme. Gonopore ( Fig. 351 ) ventral, narrowly open distally, and associated with hook-shaped antero-lateral extensions. Mesosomal lobes broad, short, with distinct rugose area at half-length. Lateral margins of lobes thickened; 2 ames microsetae on each side on lateral margin of mesosome anterior to gonopore; 2 pmes microsetae on each side sublaterally on rugose area in distal mesosome. Parameral heads ( Fig. 352 ) truncated. Parameral blades long, rounded distally; pst1 as in genus description; pst2 central. Measurements ex Artamus fuscus (n = 6 except n = 5 for TL, PTW, and AW): TL = 1.45–1.57; HL = 0.40–0.43; HW = 0.43–0.47; PRW = 0.27–0.29; PTW = 0.43–0.47; AW = 0.55–0.61.

Female. Scape not swollen ( Fig. 349 ). Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2 and Fig. 347 ; tps present on tergopleurites II–V. Posterior margin of subgenital plate narrowly indented medianly to more than to mid-length ( Fig. 353 ). Vulval margin gently rounded ( Fig. 353 ), with no pigmented band; 3–4 short, slender vms on each side, and 8–10 short, thorn-like vss on each side; 6–8 short, slender vos on each side; 1–2 distal vos median to vss. Measurements ex Artamus fuscus (n = 6 except n = 4 for AW): TL = 1.92–2.07; HL = 0.43–0.46; HW = 0.46–0.50; PRW = 0.29–0.31; PTW = 0.50–0.53; AW = 0.75–0.78.

Etymology. Nemuus hoedhri is named after Höðr, the blind brother of Baldr in Norse mythology. Höðr was fooled by the trickster god Loki into killing Baldr, by shooting at him with an arrow made of mistletoe, the only thing that could kill him. Here, this name refers to the fusion of the pre- and postocular nodi, so that the eye appears isolated from the rest of the head ( Fig. 348 ), and the lice thus seem “blind”.

Type material. Ex Artamus fuscus : Holotype ♂, Khao Oerewan Mountains, Lopburi Province, Thailand, 10 Jul. 1953, R.E. Elbel, RE-2770, B-21651, 24590 on reverse ( OSUS) . Paratypes: 2♂, 3♀, same data as holotype, 24589 or 24591 on reverse ( OSUS) ; 3♂, 3♀, same data as holotype (PIPeR) ; 1♀, Khao Kham Mountains , Lopburi Province, Thailand, 17 Aug. 1953, RE-2894, RT-B-21697 (PIPeR) ; 1♂, Bal Lat , Ban Kaeng Subdistrict, Phu Khiao District, Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand, 19 Dec. 1952, R.E. Elbel, RE-933, RT-B-17551 (PIPeR).

Figures

FIGURES 346 – 347. Nemuus hoedhri n. gen. & n. sp. ex Artamus fuscus: 346, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 347, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURES 348 – 353. Nemuus hoedhri n. gen. & n. sp. ex Artamus fuscus: 348, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 349, female antenna, ventral view. 350, male genitalia, dorsal view. 351, male mesosome and parameral heads, ventral view. 352, male paramere, dorsal view. 353, female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.

FIGURES 338 – 339. Nemuus imperator n. gen. & n. sp. ex Artamus maximus: 338, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 339, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURES 340 – 345. Nemuus imperator n. gen. & n. sp. ex Artamus maximus: 340, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 341, female antenna, ventral view. 342, male genitalia, dorsal view. 343, male mesosome, ventral view. 344, male paramere, dorsal view. 345, female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.