Myrsidea johnklickai Price, Johnson

Price, Roger D., Johnson, Kevin P. & Dalgleish, Robert C., 2008, Five new species of Myrsidea Waterston (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) from saltators and grosbeaks (Passeriformes: Cardinalidae), Zootaxa 1873, pp. 1-10 : 4

Myrsidea johnklickai Price, Johnson , and Dalgleish, new species

( Figs. 5–7 )

Type host. Cyanocompsa cyanoides (Lafresnaye, 1847) , the Blue-black Grosbeak.

Female. Head with strongly developed hypopharyngeal sclerites; gula usually with 4 setae on each side, less often only 3. Dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen as in Fig. 5 . Metanotal posterior margin with 9–10 setae; metasternal plate with 6 setae. Tergite I of normal size, tergite II much enlarged with pronounced tapered medioposterior convexity, resulting in compression of tergites III–VI. Each tergal setal row with distinct median gap. Tergal setae: I, 11–15; II, 14–16; III, 12–18; IV, 13–16; V, 12–15; VI, 13–15; VII, 12–16; VIII, 10–14. Postspiracular setae on III and V–VI <0.25 long, all distinctly shorter than the extremely long setae on II, IV, VII, or VIII. Pleurites: I–III with relatively uniform short setae; IV-VII with fine longer setae toward midline; VIII with long seta flanked on each side by much shorter seta. Sternal setae: II, 4 in each aster, rarely 3, 13–16 marginal between asters, 10–14 anterior; III, 16–21; IV, 26–35; V, 30–36; VI, 24–30; VII, 10–14; VIII–IX, 20–26. Anus with 26–34 ventral, 27–36 dorsal fringe setae. Dimensions: TW, 0.45– 0.47; HL, 0.31–0.34; PW, 0.28–0.31; MW, 0.41–0.45; AWIV, 0.55–0.63; ANW, 0.20–0.21; TL, 1.47–1.56.

Male. Head, thorax, median gap in abdominal tergal setal rows, lengths of postspiracular setae, and chaetotaxy of abdominal pleurites as for female ( Fig. 7 ), except for only 8–9 marginal metanotal setae and rarely 5 setae on metasternal plate. Tergal setae: I, 10–12; II, 13–14; III, 12–15; IV, 13–14; V, 11–14; VI, 11–14; VII, 11–15; VIII, 8–10. Sternal setae: II, 4 in each aster, rarely 3, 11–15 marginal between asters, 9–14 anterior; III, 16–21; IV, 22–28; V, 25–31; VI, 22–26; VII, 10–15; VIII, 5–6. Genitalia as in Fig. 2 ; genital sac sclerite ( Fig. 6 ) posteriorly tapered, with median dark line but lacking small slender subapical processes. Dimensions: TW, 0.42–0.43; HL, 0.29–0.31; PW, 0.26–0.29; MW, 0.35–0.40; AWIV, 0.46–0.48; GL, 0.40–0.45; TL, 1.24–1.33.

Type material. Holotype female (to INHS), ex C. cyanoides , PANAMA: Serriana del Maje, 15 Feb. 2006, JMD 591, K.P. Johnson. Paratypes, all from type host: 2 males, same data as holotype; 1 female, 2 males, same except JKO6-024; paratypes (to USNM) COSTA RICA: 5 females, 2 males, Las Cruces Biological Station, Cota Brus, 27 June 1993, R.L. Fisher 675, R.C. Dalgleish; 3 females, 1 male, La Selva Biological Station, 11–14 June 1992, R.L. Fisher 376, R.C. Dalgleish; VENEZUELA: 2 females, 3 males, 60 km E. Sta. Elena, Edo. Bolivar, June 1987, R.C. Dalgleish.

Remarks. This is the second of three species for which both sexes have a distinct median gap in the abdominal tergal setal rows. It is easily separated from M. lightae by the female having a normal abdominal tergite I and an enlarged tergite II ( Fig. 5 vs. Fig. 1 ). Further differences involve both sexes being consistently smaller than the other two, having typically only three or four setae in each sternite II aster instead of usually five for the other species, and having fewer setae on the abdominal sternites.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of John Klicka, Marjorie Barrick Museum, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, in recognition of his assistance in collecting the lice in this study and for his contributions to the systematics of the Cardinalidae .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. 1 – 4. Myrsidea lightae. 1. Female dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen. 2. Male genitalia. 3. Male genital sac sclerite. 4. Male dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen. 5 – 6. M. johnklickai. 5. Female dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen. 6. Male genital sac sclerite.

FIGURES 7 – 9. 7. Myrsidea johnklickai, male dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen. 8 – 9. M. markhafneri. 8. Male dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen. 9. Female dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen.