Brueelia pelikani Balat , 1958

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Oslejskova, Lucie, Najer, Tomas, Sychra, Oldrich & Zou, Fasheng, 2019, Redescriptions of thirteen species of chewing lice in the Brueelia - complex (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera, Philopteridae), with one new synonymy and a neotype designation for Nirmus lais Giebel, 1874, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 66 (1), pp. 17-39 : 18-20

Brueelia pelikani Balat, 1958 Figs 6-7 , 8-12

Brueelia pelikani Balát, 1958: 414.

Type host.

Emberiza melanocephala Scopoli, 1769, black-headed bunting ( Emberizidae ).

Type locality.

Sliven, Bulgaria.

Description.

Both sexes. Head slender, rounded dome-shaped (Fig. 8 ). Marginal carina slender much displaced at osculum. Ventral anterior plate small, shield-shaped. Head chaetotaxy and pigmentation pattern as in Fig. 8 . Preantennal nodi not bulging. Preocular nodi slightly larger than postocular nodi. Marginal temporal carina slender, with undulating median margin. Gular plate broadly triangular, with rounded anterior margins. Thoracic and abdominal segments and pigmentation patterns as in Figures 6 , 7 ; sternal plates get progressively browner in more posterior segments, and subgenital plate of both sexes medium brown.

Male. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Figure 6 ; ss visible only on tergopleurites VI-VII in one male, but distal tergopleurites distorted in both examined males and ss on other segments may be overlooked. Basal apodeme slender, with concave lateral margins (Fig. 9 ). Proximal mesosome gently rounded (Fig. 10 ). Mesosomal lobes wide, high convergent distally; rugose area limited to distal margin. Gonopore longer than wide. Penile arms not extending distal to mesosome. Parameres moderate in width, much elongated distally (Fig. 11 ); pst1-2 not visible in examined specimens. Measurements (n = 3): TL = 1.46-1.52; HL = 0.35; HW = 0.25; PRW = 0.17-0.18; PTW = 0.25-0.26; AW = 0.32-0.36.

Female. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Figure 7 . Subgenital plate pentagonal (Fig. 12 ), with broad connection to cross-piece. Vulval margin convergent to rounded median point, with 2 or 3 short, slender vms and 3 short, thorn-like vss on each side; 2-4 short, slender vos on each side of subgenital plate; distal 1 vos median to vss. Measurements (n = 7, except PTW where n = 6, and AW where n = 5): TL = 1.62-1.84; HL = 0.36-0.38; HW = 0.26-0.28; PRW = 0.18-0.19; PTW = 0.27-0.28; AW = 0.37-0.41.

Type material.

Lectotype ♂, Sliven, Bulgaria, 24 May 1957, F. Balát, 969a (MMBC), Paralectotypes. 5♀, same data as lectotype, 969a-c (MMBC). 1♂, Sliven, Bulgaria, 26 May 1957, F. Balát, 934 (MMBC). 1♀, Kap Maslennos, Bulgaria, 5 June 1957, F. Balát, 980 (MMBC). 1♂, 1♀, same data as lectotype, 969d, Brit. Mus. 1958-452 (NHML).

Remarks.

Balát (1958) did not designate a holotype for B. pelikani , but he mentioned that he had examined 3 males, 8 females, and 12 nymphs from 3 hosts; collectively these form the syntype series. The text "Type male and female" is written by hand on the label of slide 969a, and “paratypes” on slides 969b-c. Another slide (969d) with 1♂, 1♀ deposited at the NHML (Brit. Mus. 1958-452) is marked “paratypes”. Presently, five slides with a total of two males, six females, and one nymph are de posited at the MMBC. All specimens other than these and the two specimens at the NHML have been lost. To settle the identity of this species, we hereby designate the male on slide 969a as the lectotype of B. pelikani . The other syntypes become paralectotypes.

The abdomen of this lectotype male is unfortunately disrupted distally, which has affected the genitalia. In the paralectotype male 934, the mesosome is partially obscured by gut content, and the shape of the proximal mesosome cannot be seen clearly. We have illustrated the mesosome as seen in the lectotype, but the other genital elements as seen in the paralectotype male (934).

Figures

Figures 6, 7. Brueelia pelikani Balat, 1958, ex Emberiza melanocephala Scopoli, 1769 6 Male habitus, dorsal and ventral views 7 Female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Figures 8 - 12. Brueelia pelikani Balat, 1958, ex Emberiza melanocephala Scopoli, 1769 8 Male head, dorsal and ventral views 9 Male genitalia, dorsal view 10 Male mesosome, ventral view 11 Male paramere, dorsal view 12 Female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.