Guimaraesiella ooalis, Mey, 2017

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Bush, Sarah E. & Palma, Ricardo L., 2019, The genera and species of the Brueelia - complex (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) described by Mey (2017), Zootaxa 4615 (2), pp. 252-284 : 277-278

Mohoaticus ooalis Mey, 2017

Mohoaticus ooalis Mey, 2017: 174 , fig. 99, pl. XVIII: fig. 5.

Guimaraesiella (Mohoaticus) ooalis ( Mey, 2017) . New combination.

Type host: “ Moho sp.” or “ Chaetoptila angustipluma (Peale, 1849) ”, herewith corrected to: Chloridops kona Wilson, 1888 —Kona grosbeak (see below).

Type locality: Kona , Hawaii .

Remarks. Based on the text description and the illustrations, we recognise Mohoaticus ooalis as a valid species within the genus Guimaraesiella .

There is no clear reasoning behind Mey’s (2017: 174) designation of the type host of Mohoaticus ooalis as “ Moho sp.” or “ Chaetoptila angustipluma (Peale, 1849) given that neither is the species from which the single male holotype was collected. Mey (2017: 174) regarded Chloridops kona as an incorrect host, and suggested that either an unidentified species of Moho Lesson, 1830 or Chaetoptila angustipluma (Peale, 1849) was the true host, and designated either of these species as the type host, but did not explain his reasoning. The holotype of M. ooalis was collected from a museum skin of Chloridops kona , which is closely related to Drepanis coccinea (Forster, 1780) , the type host of Guimaraesiella (Mohoaticus) diaprepes . Therefore, it is plausible that the true, natural host species of M. ooalis is, in fact, the species it was found on. Mey (2017) gives no evidence of the occurrence of M. ooalis on any of the hosts he suggests as type hosts, other than the “high likelihood” that some contamination occurred during collection.

The Code ’s (1999: 120) definition of “ type host” clearly states that it is “The host species with which the namebearing type of a nominal species or subspecies was associated”. Therefore, it is not required that the type host is the true, natural host of the parasite species. Thus, the accepted type host can be in error, as it has been shown for many species (see Price et al. 2003). However, it is important to provide evidence when one argues that a type specimen is a straggler or a contaminant. Considering that Mey (2017: 174) gives no evidence or argument, beyond statement of opinion, that Chloridops kona was an incorrect host, his designation of type host is not valid and needs to be corrected (see Recommendation 76A. 2 in the Code 1999). Therefore, the type host of M. ooalis is Chloridops kona .