Columbicola meinertzhageni

Adams, Richard J., Price, Roger D. & Clayton, Dale H., 2005, Taxonomic revision of Old World members of the feather louse genus Columbicola (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera), including descriptions of eight new species, Journal of Natural History 39 (41), pp. 3545-3618 : 3560-3561

3. meinertzhageni species group

This group consists of four species from the host genera Streptopelia , Treron , Turtur , and Columba . Like the previous two groups, they have anterior marginal head carina complete and rounded ( Figure 35 ); body elongate ( Figure 1 ); each side of metanotum with two long, two short setae ( Figure 2 ). Male antenna with enlarged scape, spur on third segment ( Figure 35 ); genitalia similar to streptopeliae group, with mesosome laterally divided, each side with three pores and one small spine ( Figure 37 ). Female subgenital plate groove broadly rounded, each side with 2–5 short to long setae ( Figure 38 ).

Columbicola meinertzhageni Tendeiro

( Figures 35–38 )

Columbicola meinertzhageni Tendeiro 1959: 671 . Type host: Streptopelia s. semitorquata (Rüppell) . Columbicola meinertzhageni parvus Tendeiro 1959: 688 . Type host: Turtur chalcospilos (Wagler) . New synonymy.

Description

Male head as in Figure 35 , with fairly long medioposterior pair of setae extending beyond posterior head margin; APW 0.120 –0.132 (0.126); HW 0.26–0.29 (0.272); HL, 0.53–0.57 (0.559); HL/ HW, 1.96–2.15 (2.05). Thorax with PW, 0.21–0.24 (0.224); MW, 0.26–0.30 (0.274). Genitalia as in Figure 37 ; mesosome laterally spread with weakly sclerotized expansions, 3 pores on each side; GW, 0.093 –0.110 (0.104). TL, 2.16– 2.35 (2.26). Female head as in Figure 36 ; APW, 0.130 –0.147 (0.137); HW, 0.28–0.30 (0.288); HL, 0.58–0.63 (0.606); HL/ HW, 2.03–2.18 (2.10). Thorax with PW, 0.22–0.26 (0.235); MW, 0.28–0.35 (0.309). Ventral terminalia as in Figure 38 ; subgenital plate groove wide, with short setae (0.007 –0.010) on each side. TL, 2.49–2.75 (2.65) .

Material

Holotype male, allotype female, 7 male, 14 female paratypes of C. meinertzhageni , ex S. s. semitorquata , Senegal, Uganda (2). Holotype male, allotype female, male paratype of C. meinertzhageni parvus , ex T. chalcospilos , Democratic Republic of the Congo (1).

Remarks

This species was originally described by Tendeiro (1959) as a complex of four subspecies: C. m. meinertzhageni , C. m. parvus, C. m. meridionalis , and C. m. longantennatus . The nominate form, C. m. meinertzhageni , was described from three host species: Streptopelia semitorquata , Columba arquatrix Temminck , and Treron calvus delalandii (Bonaparte) . Comparison of specimens from Columba arquatrix and the type host, S. semitorquata , indicates that the former are longer overall, with narrower heads, greater HL/HW ratio, greater APW, greater GW, and much longer subgenital plate setae. We therefore elevate these specimens to the status of a new species, Columbicola browni ex Columba arquatrix . We have not been able to study specimens of C. m. meinertzhageni from Treron calvus delalandii . Therefore, we continue to recognize the record of C. m. meinertzhageni from T. c. delalandii.

Comparison of type specimens of the four subspecies of C. meinertzhageni reveals sufficient differences between three of these (C. m. meinertzhageni , C. m. meridionalis , and C. m. longantennatus ) to recognize them as full species. In contrast, C. m. parvus ex Turtur chalcospilos is represented by three poorly preserved specimens that Tendeiro separated from C. m. meinertzhageni on the basis of smaller size. Re-examination of these specimens shows considerable overlap with the nominate subspecies; we therefore consider C. m. parvus to be a junior synonym of C. m. meinertzhageni .

Figures

Figures 19–39. Columbicola tschulyschman: (19) male genitalia; (20) female dorsal head; (21) female ventral terminalia. C. turturis: (22) male genitalia; (23) female ventral terminalia. C. keleri: (24) male genitalia; (25) female ventral terminalia. C. guimaraesi: (26) male dorsal head; (27) male genitalia; (28) female dorsal head; (29) female ventral terminalia. C. grandiusculus: (30) male dorsal head; (31) male genitalia; (32) female ventral terminalia. C. vitiensis: (33) male genitalia; (34) female ventral terminalia. C. meinertzhageni: (35) male dorsal head; (36) female dorsal head; (37) male genitalia; (38) female ventral terminalia. C. browni: (39) male dorsal head.

Figures 1–18. Columbicola columbae: (1) dorsal-ventral male. Columbicola male: (2) metanotal margin with two long, two short setal pattern; (3) metanotal margin with three long, one short setal pattern; (4) dorsoanterior head—a5anterior medial head setae (AMHS), b5posterior medial head setae (PMHS); (5) genitalia, width (GW); (6) body measurements—head length (HL), dorsoanterior head plate width (APW), head width (HW), scape length (SL), prothorax width (PW), metathorax width (MW), total length (TL). C. columbae: (7) male dorsal head (arrow5medioposterior head setae); (8) male genitalia; (9) female dorsal head; (10) female ventral terminalia. C. bacillus: (11) male genitalia; (12) female ventral terminalia. C. stresemanni: (13) male dorsal head; (14) female dorsal head. C. claviformis: (15) male dorsal head; (16) male genitalia; (17) female ventral terminalia. C. tschulyschman: (18) male dorsal head.