Brueelia robertrankini, Gustafsson & Najer & Zou & Bush, 2022

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Najer, Tomas, Zou, Fasheng & Bush, Sarah E., 2022, The ischnoceran chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) of bulbuls (Aves: Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae), with descriptions of 18 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 800, pp. 1-88 : 39-41

Brueelia robertrankini sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A7B7512D-23D8-4904-857A-F97A1077C631

Figs 64–70

Diagnosis

Brueelia robertrankini sp. nov. is most similar to Br. colindalei sp. nov., with which it shares the medianly pointed proximal mesosome ( Figs 69 , 90 ), the rounded pentagonal head ( Figs 66 , 87 ), and most characters of the abdominal chaetotaxy ( Figs 64–65 , 85–86 ). These two species can be separated by the following characters: abdominal segment IV in males without ps in Br. robertrankini sp. nov. ( Fig. 64 ), but with ps in Br. colindalei sp. nov. ( Fig. 85 ); male tergopleurite VIII without tps in Br. robertrankini sp. nov. ( Fig. 64 ), but with tps in Br. colindalei sp. nov. ( Fig. 85 ); female abdominal segment IV in Br. robertrankini sp. nov. with ps ( Fig. 65 ), but without ps in Br. colindalei sp. nov. ( Fig. 86 ); proximal mesosome and mesosomal lobes on different shapes ( Figs 69 , 90 ); parameres much longer in Br. robertrankini sp. nov. ( Fig. 68 ) than in Br. colindalei sp. nov. ( Fig. 89 ); female genitalia of Br. colindalei sp. nov. imperfectly known (see below), but subgenital plate appears to be broader and vulval margin more rounded in Br. robertrankini sp. nov. ( Fig. 70 ) than in Br. colindalei sp. nov. ( Fig. 91 ).

Etymology

The species name is in honor of the British author Robert Rankin (not to be confused with the other Robert Rankin), as a heartfelt thank-you for the many far-fetched books he has written. These have provided the first author with endless joy over the last decades; moreover, it is a fact well known to those who know it well that 2021 marks the 40 th anniversary of Rankin as a published author. Thus, given the specific name of the host, an associated louse named Brueelia robertrankini sp. nov. seems apropos, if you know what we mean (and we are sure that you do).

Material examined

Holotype (ex Pycnonotus jocosus jocosus) THAILAND • ♂; Chieng Mai Province , Doi Pha Hom Pok; 24 Nov. 1965; Maps. 2712; BPBM.

Paratypes (ex Pycnonotus jocosus pattani) CHINA • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Guangxi Province, Shiwandashan National Park ; 4 May 2005; [S.E.] Bush and [D.H.] Clayton leg.; MBR-6761 ; P-783 ; PIPR • 1 ♂; same locality, date and collectors as for preceding; MBR-6758 ; P-776 ; PIPR • 1 ♀; same locality and collectors as for preceding; 23 Apr. 2005; MBR-6704 ; P- 946 ; PIPR [slide also contains an unidentified Brueelia s. str. ♀] • 1 ♀; same locality and collector as for preceding; TJD-6231 ; P-948 ; PIPR .

Type host

Pycnonotus jocosus jocosus ( Linnaeus, 1758) – red-whiskered bulbul.

Other hosts

Pycnonotus jocosus pattani Deignan, 1948.

Description

Both sexes

Head convex rounded pentagonal ( Fig. 66 ), lateral margins of preantennal area convex, frons flattened to slightly concave. Marginal carina gradually narrowing anteriorly, moderately displaced and translucent but not widened at osculum; lateral sections with distinct undulations of median margins. Ventral anterior plate flattened oval, with brown pigmentation. Head chaetotaxy as in Fig. 66 ; pos located far behind eye. Temples rounded, occiput convex. Thoracic and abdominal segments as in Figs 64–65 . Pigmentation generally very pale brown, except marginal and temporal marginal carinae, preantennal, preocular, and postocular nodi, proepimera, metepisterna, and lateral tergopleurites moderate brown.

Male

Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 64 . Basal apodeme short ( Fig. 67 ), constricted at midlength, with straight anterior margin. Proximal mesosome broad, anterior margin convergent to median point, its distal constriction creating small lateral protrusions ( Fig. 69 ). Mesosomal lobes broad, somewhat elongated, with moderately rugose postero-median margins; 2 pmes sensilla latero-distal to gonopore. Gonopore crescent shaped, with distal margin deeply concave; no lateral extensions. Penile arms reach distal to mesosomal lobes. Parameres elongated distally, narrowing markedly near distal tips; pst1–2 as in Fig. 68 . Measurements as in Table 1 .

Female

Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 65 . Subgenital plate barrel-shaped, with almost quadratic anterior half ( Fig. 70 ), distal connection to cross-piece broad. Vulval margin gently rounded ( Fig. 70 ), with 2–3 short, slender vms and 4–7 short, thorn-like vss on each side; 3–4 short, slender vos on each side of subgenital plate; distal 1 vos median to vss. Measurements as in Table 1 .

Remarks

No significant differences have been found between material from the two host subspecies.

Figures

Figs 64–65. Brueelia robertrankini sp. nov. 64. Male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 65. Female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Figs 66–70. Brueelia robertrankini sp. nov. 66. Male head, dorsal and ventral views. 67. Male genitalia, dorsal view. 68. Male paramere, dorsal view. 69. Male mesosome, ventral view. 70. Female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.

Figs 87–91. Brueelia colindalei sp. nov. 87. Male head, dorsal and ventral views. 88. Male genitalia, dorsal view. 89. Male paramere, dorsal view. 90. Male mesosome, ventral view. 91. Female subgenital plate and vulvalmargin, ventral view.

Figs 85–86. Brueelia colindalei sp. nov. 85. Male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 86. Female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.