Sychraella 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 : 74-75

Sychraella Gustafsson & Bush , new genus

Type species. Sychraella sinsutura new species

Diagnosis. Sychraella n. gen. ( Figs 106–107 ) is most similar to some Mirandofures n. gen. ( Figs 98–99 ). Both genera have rows of tps on male tergopleurites V–VIII (also on male tergopleurite IV in Sychraella and some Mirandofures ; Table 2), sexually dimorphic antennae, and lack pns but both genera have s3; together, these characters separate these genera from most Brueelia s. str. ( Fig. 44 ). Mirandofures ( Fig. 92 ) and Sychraella ( Fig. 108 ) are also similar in that both genera lack pos, pst1 is situated distal to pst2 ( Figs 96 , 104 , 112 ), the parameres may have a distinct heel distal to mesosome ( Figs 104 , 112 ), vos do not approach the vulval margin, and females lack all dorsal abdominal setae except the trichoid seta of segment VIII and the setae of segment IX+X.

Several characters separate Sychraella from Mirandofures : cross-piece in absent in Mirandofures ( Figs 97 , 105 ), whereas in Sychraella ( Fig. 113 ) there is a detached laterally submarginal cross-piece; aps or psps are present in Sychraella ( Figs 106–107 ) but absent in Mirandofures ( Figs 90–91 ); Mirandofures ( Fig. 92 ) has a transversally continuous dorsal preantennal suture, but there is no preantennal suture in Sychraella ( Fig. 108 ); marginal carinal plate present at osculum in Mirandofures ( Fig. 92 ), but not in Sychraella ( Fig. 108 ); mesosomal lobes are separate distally in Mirandofures ( Figs 95 , 103 ), but fused in Sychraella ( Fig. 111 ); fI-p2 absent in Mirandofures , but present in Sychraella .

Description. Both sexes. Head flat-dome shaped ( Fig. 108 ). Marginal carina uninterrupted; displaced posteriorly and dorsally at osculum. Ventral carinae clearly continuous with marginal carina anteriorly. Dorsal preantennal suture, dorsal anterior plate, and ventral anterior plate absent. Head setae as in Fig. 108 ; as3, pns, and pos absent. Coni long but slender. Antennae sexually dimorphic; male scapes and pedicel ( Fig. 108 ) longer and thicker than in female ( Fig. 109 ). Temporal carinae not visible; mts 3 only macrosetae. Gular plate rhomboid.

Prothorax rectangular ( Figs 106–107 ); ppss on postero-lateral corner. Proepimera slender, median ends hookshaped. Pterothorax trapezoidal; lateral margins slightly divergent; posterior margin flat or barely convergent to median point; mss widely separated medianly, and further separated into distinct groups (most conspicuous in female). Meso- and metasterna not fused, the latter very large; 1 seta on posterior margin on each side of each plate. Coxae II and III widely separated by wide metepisterna with broad, blunt median ends; metepisterna often diffuse and hard to see. Leg chaetotaxy as in Fig. 25 , except fI-d1, fI-v4, fII-v2, fIII-v2 absent; cI-v1 thorn-like, very stout; fI-v3–4 microsetae. Only one cI-a present. Only genus treated here in which fI-p2 is present.

Abdomen oval in male, more elongated in female ( Figs 106–107 ). Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2. Female entirely lack dorsal abdominal setae, apart from trichoid setae on segment VIII. Tergopleurites rectangular in female, rounded triangular in male; tergopleurites II–IX+X in male and tergopleurites II–VIII in female narrowly divided medianly. Sternal plates broad, lateral margins concave, pigmentation more intense in anterior and posterior thirds than in middle section of each sternal plate; sternal plates do not approach pleurites. Pleural incrassations slender. Re-entrant heads large, translucent. Male subgenital plate broad, irregularly shaped, reaching distal end of abdomen. Female subgenital plate pentagonal, lateral margins concave, posterior extension rounded triangular, not approaching vulval margin. Detached cross-piece present, continuous with vulval margin medianly but lateral sections submarginal. Vulval margin with distinct median bulge ( Fig. 113 ); slender vms, thorn-like vss; vos nn two parallel rows of slender setae on each side of subgenital plate; set not approaching vulval margin.

Basal apodeme broad, rectangular ( Fig. 110 ). Proximal mesosome slender, with concave lateral margins. Gonopore large, dominating mesosome; open distally; anterior end with lateral extensions. Mesosomal lobes fused medianly, forming crescent distal to gonopore ( Fig. 111 ); 1 ames present antero-lateral to gonopore on each side. 1 pmes present just lateral to gonopore on each side; 2 additional pmes present as microsetae near antero-lateral margins of each primary mesosomal lobe. Parameral heads ( Fig. 112 ) bluntly bifid. Parameral blades strongly curved around mesosome; distinct heel present; blades elongated distally; pst1 sensilla, distal to pst2 near distal ends of parameres; pst2 microseta, lateral, near distal tip.

Host distribution. Presently known only from two subspecies of Pomatostomus isidorei .

Geographical range. Presently known only from New Guinea, but the host family extends to Australia.

Etymology. Sychraella is named in honour of phthirapterist Oldrich Sychra (University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic), in recognition of his many contributions to louse taxonomy, and for his long friendship with the authors. Gender: feminine

Remarks. The host Pomatostomus temporalis strepitans (Mayr & Rand, 1935) , congeneric to the only known host of Sychraella , is parasitised by a very dissimilar species in the Brueelia -complex, which we here place in its own genus, Anarchonirmus n. gen. (see below). The morphological differences among lice from these hosts echo recent hypotheses that the hosts are not close relatives. Indeed, recent authors have placed P. isidorei in the monotypic genus Garritornis Iredale, 1956 ( Cibois 2003; Geland et al. 2008). In the future, molecular studies of these lice may help elucidate the evolutionary history of their hosts.

Included species

* Sychraella sinsutura new species

Figures

FIGURES 25. Dorso-ventral views of coxae I – III, trochanters I – III, and femora I – III, showing terminology of the leg setae used here. Other parts of the thorax removed for clarity. Setae situated marginally are illustrated and named on both dorsal (lefthand) and ventral (right-hand) sides. Terminology for individual seta as used in the text obtained by combining the leg segment (larger font) and the setal name (smaller font). Abbreviations: a 1 – 5, anterior setae 1 – 5; cI – III, coxae I – III; d 1 – 3, dorsal setae 1 – 3; dm 1 – 4, distal marginal setae 1 – 4; fI – III, femur I – III; p 1 – 3, posterior setae 1 – 3; s 1 – 6, sensilla 1 – 6; tI – III, trochanter I – III; v 1 – 4, ventral setae 1 – 4.

FIGURES 106 – 107. Sychraella sinsutura n. gen. & n. sp. ex Pomatostomus isidorei isidorei: 106 male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 107 female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURES 98 – 99. Mirandofures altoguineae n. gen. & n. sp. ex Oreostruthus fuliginosus: 98, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 99, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURES 44 – 48. Brueelia brachythorax (Giebel, 1874) ex Bombycilla garrulus garrulous: 44, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 45, male genitalia, dorsal view. 46, male mesosome, ventral view. 47, male paramere, dorsal view. 48, female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral views.

FIGURES 92 – 97. Mirandofures kamena n. gen. & n. sp. ex Erythrura trichroa sigillifer: 92, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 93, female antenna, ventral view. 94, male genitalia, ventral view. 95, male mesosome, ventral view. 96, male paramere, dorsal view. 97, female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view. Abbreviation: MCP, marginal carinal plate.

FIGURES 108 – 113. Sychraella sinsutura n. gen. & n. sp. ex Pomatostomus isidorei isidorei: 108, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 109, female antenna, ventral view. 110, male genitalia, dorsal view. 111, male mesosome, ventral view. 112, male paramere, dorsal view. 113, female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.

FIGURES 100 – 105. Mirandofures altoguineae n. gen. & n. sp. ex Oreostruthus fuliginosus: 100, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 101, female antenna, ventral view. 102, male genitalia, dorsal view. 103, male mesosome, ventral view. 104, male paramere, dorsal view. 105, female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.

FIGURES 90 – 91. Mirandofures kamena n. gen. & n. sp. ex Erythrura trichroa sigillifer: 90, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 91, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.