Bizarrifrons picturatus Carriker & Díaz-Ungría, 1961

Valim, Michel P. & Palma, Ricardo L., 2012, Redescriptions of two species and descriptions of three new species of the louse genus Bizarrifrons Eichler, 1938 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae), Zootaxa 3273, pp. 28-50 : 41-45

Bizarrifrons picturatus Carriker & Díaz-Ungría, 1961

( Figs 31–39 )

Type host: Cacicus cela (Linnaeus, 1758) —Yellow-rumped cacique

Bizarrifrons picturatus Carriker & Díaz-Ungría, 1961 : Nov. Cien. Mus. Hist. Nat. La Salle 28: 44, figs 44–45. Bizarrifrons picturatus Carriker [& Díaz-Ungría], 1961 ; Price et al. 2003. Chewing lice: world checklist: 152.

Descriptions of immature stages. First nymphal instar. Habitus as in Fig. 31 . Head anteriorly pointed with tips of the marginal carinae parallel, the ventral carina surpassing the marginal carina as in adults. Dorso-anterior head plate quadrangular and ventro-anterior head plate U-shaped. Preantennal region symmetric. Premarginal, occipital and ventral carinae brownish. Scape white, pedicel and flageromeres brownish. Pterothorax with 1 long seta on each side, situated about the mid-point of the posterior margin, plus a short spiniform seta on each postero-lateral angle. Without meso- or metasternal plates, or setae. Without paratergal and hemitergal plates. Tergal chaetotaxy (on each side): segments II–III with 1 innermost posterior seta; IV–VIII with 1 innermost posterior seta and a postspiracular setae; IX, with 2 long setae plus 2 small and anterior. Sternal chaetotaxy (on each side): 1 very short seta on II–VIII; 2 long and 1 short setae on IX. Paratergal chaetotaxy: II–III without seta; IV–V, 1 very short seta; VI–VIII, 1 long and 1 very short setae; IX+X, 1 long setae. Measurements (n = 2): POL, 0.16–0.17; POW, 0.26; TW, 0.35–0.36; HL, 0.38; PW, 0.22; MW, 0.28–0.29; AWV, 0.40–0.42; TL, 0.98–1.00.

Second nymphal instar. Habitus as in Fig. 32 . Head very pointed with tips of the marginal carinae parallel, as in the first instar. Preantennal region sligthly asymmetric. Dorso-anterior head plate quadrangular, but with anterior margin concave; the ventro-anterior head plate markedly U-shaped and producing most of the asymmetry. Marginal, occipital and ventral carinae brownish. Scape white, pedicel and flageromeres brownish. Pterothorax with 4 long setae on each side, plus a short spiniform seta on each postero-lateral angle. Without meso- or metasternal plates, but with 1 seta on each area corresponding to the meso- and metasternum. Paratergal plates not pigmented and faintly distinguishable, only depicted on their posterior margins as a fold on the tegument, present on segments II–VII (maybe also on VIII). Without hemitergal plates. Tergal chaetotaxy (on each side): II–III with 1 innermost posterior seta; IV–VIII with 1 innermost posterior seta and a postspiracular setae; IX with 2 long setae plus 2 small and anterior. Sternal chaetotaxy (on each side): 1 seta on II–VIII, those on IV–VIII very short; 2 long and 1 medium sized setae on IX. Paratergal chaetotaxy: II–III, without seta; IV–V with 1 long seta; VI–VII, 2 long; VIII, 3 long; IX+X, 1 long setae. Measurements (n = 2): POL, 0.21; POW, 0.29; TW, 0.42–0.43; HL, 0.45–0.46; PW, 0.25–0.27; MW, 0.33–0.35; AWV, 0.43–0.46; TL, 1.14–1.16.

Redescription of adults. Male. Habitus as in Fig. 33 , coloration similar to Fig. 7 . Preantennal region markedly asymmetric ( Fig. 33 ). Conus long, surpassing the distal margin of the scape. Flagellomeres and pedicel distinctly more pigmented than the scape. Pterothorax with posterior margin brownish with a clear median gap, and 8–11 setae on each side. Episterna II and III strongly pigmented. Tergites II–VIII well developed, tapering towards the mid-line, well pigmented, except for a small round area around the spiracles; IX+X the narrowest. Tergal chaetotaxy uniform with some individual variation (on each side): segment II with 1 inner and 2 outer posterior setae; III with 1 inner and 2–3 outer posterior setae; IV–V with 1 inner and 3–4 outer posterior, a postspiracular seta and 1 postspiracular accessory (none in one side of the IV segment); VI–VII with 1 inner and 2–3 outer posterior setae, a postspiracular seta and 1 postspiracular accessory; VIII with 5 posterior setae and a trichobothrium latero-posterior; IX+X with 8–9 setae, 2 longer than the others. Postero-internal angle of tergites VII–VIII straight ( Figs 33 and 35 ). Without sclerites around the genital opening. Sternal plates on II–VI well developed, narrow, laterally pointed and entirely pigmented. Sternal chaetotaxy (on each side): segments II–VI with 1 medium long setae, surpassing the plate and reaching the following plate. Paratergal chaetotaxy: segments II–III without setae; IV–V with 2; VI–VIII, 3; IX+X, 2. Male subgenital plate as in Fig. 36 , without fenestrae; genitalia as in Fig. 37 . Measurements (n = 1): POL, 0.29; POW, 0.33; TW, 0.53; HL, 0.60; DPW, 0.10; PW, 0.31; MW, 0.46; AWV, 0.63; BAL, 0.24; PL, 0.14; GW, 0.15; GL, 0.36; TL, 1.65.

Female. Habitus as in Fig. 34 , coloration similar to Fig. 8 . Similar to the male, but differing in the tergal chaetotaxy and terminal segments. Tergite IX+X medially fused, with a shallow anterior notch in the midline, completely pigmented. Tergal chaetotaxy (on each side): segments II–VII with 3 (sometimes 2 or 4 in one side) inner posterior seta; VIII with 4 (rarely 2 or 3 in one side) inner posterior setae and a trichobothrium latero-posterior; IX+X with 4 setae, 2 short (sometimes with duplication of these setae only in one side), only reaching the terminal plates; and 2 long, surpassing the end of the abdomen. Postero-internal angles of tergites II–III pointed, those of IV–VIII rounded. Subgenital plate tapering from the base to the distal end ( Fig. 38 ), with 3–6 short setae laterad, on each side ( Fig. 39 ). Vulva with 7–9 short marginal setae, and 10–15 short submarginal spiniform setae on each side ( Fig. 39 ). Measurements (n = 4): POL, 0.29–0.30; POW, 0.36–0.38; TW, 0.57; HL, 0.61–0.63; DPW, 0.11–0.12; PW, 0.34; MW, 0.50–0.51; AWV, 0.73–0.78; TL, 1.91–1.99.

Remarks. Although Carriker & Díaz-Ungría (1961) define Bizarrifrons picturatus as having the conus not surpassing the end of the scape, in all specimens studied the conus was slightly longer than the first antennal segment. Otherwise, our specimens fit with all other morphological features given in the original description of B. picturatus . As in B. magus , the first nymphal instar of B. picturatus have a more primitive symmetric head, as shown for other genera within Philopteridae by Mey (1998). However, there are differences in the development of the head structures between these two species: the head of the first nymphal instar of B. picturatus has a well-formed antero-dorsal head plate (absent in B. magus ) and its ventral carina is prolonged beyond the marginal carina. Although we have not seen the third nymphal instar of B. picturatus , the first two nymphal instars of these species show a number of additional differential characters which could be related to their placement in different speciesgroups, i.e. (1) a whitish pedicel in B. magus but pigmented in B. picturatus ; (2) minute pleural setae on IV–V and very minute on VI–VIII in nymphs I of B. magus , but medium sized in IV–VIII of B. picturatus ; (3) medium sized pleural setae on IV–VIII in nymphs II of B. magus , but very long in B. picturatus ; and (4) paratergal plates in nymphs II are strongly pigmented in B. magus but barely noticed in B. picturatus . A study of nymphs from other species in each group is necessary to see whether these morphological features do correlate with species-groups within the genus Bizarrifrons .

Material examined. 1 male, 4 females (one DNA voucher Bipi.8.25.2011.1), 2 nymphs I, 2 nymphs II, ex Cacicus cela , JAP754 MPEG 63230; BRAZIL: Amazonas, Município Maraã, Lago Cumapi (01°43'48.6"S; 65°52'45.5"W), 31.VII.2007, J.D. Weckstein coll., at MZUSP (except for the DNA voucher in FMNH).

Figures

FIGURES 31 – 32. Bizarrifrons picturatus: first nymphal instar, dorso-ventral view (31); second nymphal instar, dorso-ventral view (32). Only coxae and trochanters shown.

FIGURES 33 – 34. Bizarrifrons picturatus: adult male, dorso-ventral view (33); adult female, dorso-ventral view (34).

FIGURES 35 – 39. Bizarrifrons picturatus: male terminalia, dorso-ventral view (35); male subgenital plate (36); male genitalia (37); female subgenital plate (38); female terminalia, dorso-ventral view (39).

FIGURES 5 – 8. Adult male Bizarrifrons magus (5); adult female B. magus (6); adult male Bizarrifrons quasisymmetricus sp. nov. (7); adult female B. quasisymmetricus sp. nov. (8).