Aratricerca madagascariensis Gustafsson, Zou & Bush, 2022

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Zou, Fasheng & Bush, Sarah E., 2022, Descriptions of six new species of slender-bodied chewing lice of the Resartor-group (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Brueelia-complex), Zootaxa 5104 (4), pp. 506-530 : 514-516

Aratricerca madagascariensis Gustafsson, Zou & Bush , new species

( Figs 15–19 )

Type host. Randia pseudozosterops Delacour & Berlioz, 1931 —Rand’s warbler ( Bernieridae ).

Type locality. Ranomafana National Park , Fianarantsoa, Madagascar (21.25628 S, 47.4218 E) .

Diagnosis. Aratricerca madagascariensis n. sp. is most similar to Aratricerca cerata n. sp. To distinguish these two species, see diagnosis of A. cerata , above.

Description. Male. Head as in Fig. 16 , with straight lateral margins of preantennal area. Frons flattened, slightly concave. Dorsal anterior plate with broad sublateral thickening as in Fig. 16 . Ventral anterior plate absent. Head chaetotaxy as in Fig. 16 . Coni short. Gular plate broadly triangular, with irregular lateral margins. Thoracic and abdominal segments and chaetotaxy as in Fig. 15 ; ss of segment II obscured by gut content in holotype, and have here been illustrated tentatively; 2 ps on each side of segment VI; tail with 1 dorsal and 1 ventral setae on each side. Subgenital plate does not reach distal end of abdomen. Tail of abdominal segment XI with sclerotised distal margin. Basal apodeme ( Fig. 17 ) broad, slightly constricted at mid-length; anterior end rounded. Proximal mesosome ( Fig. 19 ) rounded, and widening; mesosomal lobes angular; section distal to gonopore densely papillate marginally; 2 gpmes sensilla on each side of gonopore; gonopore as in Fig. 19 . Parameral heads ( Fig. 18 ) large, bifid; parameral blade with lateral modification as in Fig. 18 ; pst2 sensilla on terminal end. Measurements (n = 1): TL = 2.32; HL = 0.38; HW = 0.31; PRW = 0.23; PTW = 0.25; AW = 0.30.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Ex Randia pseudozosterops : Holotype ♂, 21.25628 S, 47.4218 E, elev. 920 m Main Park Entrance , PN Ranomafana, 3.5 km W of Ranomafana, Fianarantsoa, Madagascar, 15 Sep. 2009, N.L. Block, FMN-HINS-2960110, voucher specimen for sequence Gennov.Raps.8.05.2011.3 ( FMNH).

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the type locality, the island of Madagascar.

Figures

FIGURES 15–19. Aratricerca madagascariensis n. sp. 15, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 16, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 17, male genitalia, dorsal view. 18, male paramere, dorsal view. 19, male mesosome, ventral view.