Brueelia neodaumae Najer and Sychra

Najer, Tomas, Sychra, Oldrich, Hung, Nguyen Manh, Capek, Miroslav, Podzemny, Petr & Literak, Ivan, 2012, Chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) from wild passerines (Aves: Passeriformes) in northern Vietnam, with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 3530, pp. 59-73 : 68-72

Brueelia neodaumae Najer and Sychra , sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 A–B; 5A–D; 6E–F)

Type host: Zoothera dauma (Latham, 1790) —Scaly Thrush

Male (n = 4) ( Figs. 4 A, 5A–B, 6E): Preantennal region moderately longer than the postantennal, with slightly concave anterior margin. The shape of dorsal anterior head plate characteristically oval, with straight front and hind margin as shown ( Fig. 5 C). Marginal carina with partial lateral interruptions, dorsal anterior head plate completely encircled by sutures, isolating it from the rest of the dorsal head sclerotization. ( Fig. 5 C) (type “f” in Johnson et al. 2002). Metanotum with 7 setae (3 long and the others medium long) on each postero-lateral margin.

Tergal setae: postspiracular seta present on each side of tergites IV–VII; postspiracular accessory setae: II–V, 0; VI, 0–1; VII, 1; VIII, 0; sutural seta: II–III, short (not more than 0.050); IV–V, long (more than 0.125); VI, medium long (0.075) on each side; VII–VIII, apparently without sutural setae (short tergoposterior setae mediad of each spiracle are counted as posterior setae, because they are not in the medio-lateral end of each tergal plate); tergal posterior setae: II–VI, 0; VII, 1; VIII, 1–2 on each side of abdominal segments. Tergite VIII with one seta in each postero-lateral corner; tergite IX with 2 long and 4–5 short setae, on each side; terminal dorsal sclerite with 8 setae ( Fig. 5 B). Abdominal sterna II–VII with a pair of short lateral setae. Paratergal setae: II–III, 0; IV–V, 2; VI–VII, 3; VIII, 4. Male genitalia as in Fig. 5 A with stout parameres with enlarged rounded base, endomeral complex oval with 4–5 short setae on each side with conspicuously serrated Y-shaped anterior end. Dimensions: PAW, 0.41–0.42; PAL, 0.25–0.27; TW, 0.49–0.50; POL, 0.21–0.22; HL, 0.51–0.53; PW, 0.28–0.30; ML, 0.21–0.22; MW, 0.42–0.45; AWV, 0.59–0.66; AL, 0.91–1.01;GW, 0.07–0.09; TL, 1.71–1.85.

Female (n = 4) ( Figs. 4 B, 5D, 6F): Generally as for male. Metanotum with 2 medium long and 2 short setae on each postero-lateral margin. Tergite VI without postspiracular accessory seta; no tergal posterior setae on any tergal plate. On each side of all tergites present one long (over 0.200) sutural seta; tergite IX with 2 long and one short seta, on each side. Ventral terminalia with subgenital plate posteriorly convex, with 18–22 spine-like and 14–18 fine minute setae ( Fig. 5 D). Dimensions: PAW, 0.43–0.44; PAL, 0.27–0.29; TW, 0.52–0.53; POL, 0.23–0.27; HL, 0.55; PW, 0.31–0.32; ML, 0.22–0.25; MW, 0.46–0.48; AWV, 0.66–0.70; AL, 1.08–1.18; TL, 1.97–2.10.

Type material. Holotype male ex Zoothera dauma , VIETNAM: the botanical garden, Cuc Phuong, Province of Ninh Binh (20°15' N 105°42' E), 8 February 2010, coll. I. Literak, in IEBR VAST (O. Sychra V43). Paratypes: 1 male, 2 females with the same data as holotype but in IEBR VAST (O. Sychra V43 and V44); 2 males, 2 females with the same data as holotype but in MMBC (O. Sychra V45 and V46).

Remarks. Brueelia neodaumae is the second species of Brueelia known from Zoothera dauma , after Brueelia daumae ( Clay, 1936) . Compared with all species of Brueelia known from birds that occur in Vietnam ( Price et. al. 2003), B. neodaumae is most similar to Brueelia merulensis ( Denny, 1842) from Turdus merula , and Brueelia myiophoneae ( Clay, 1936) from Myophonus caeruleus . However, B. neodaumae can be separated from those two species by the following combination of features: (1) shape of the head and the dorsal anterior head plate, as in Figs. 5 C; (2) male genitalia with stout parameres and endomeral complex with conspicuously serrated Y-shaped anterior end ( Fig. 5 A); (3) shape and chaetotaxy of female subgenital plate, as in Fig. 5 D. Brueelia neodaumae is morphologically closer to Brueelia myiophoneae , from which it can be distinguished by: (A) the shape of the tergal plates VII–IX (narrowed in the middle in Brueelia myiophoneae , rectangular in Brueelia neodaumae ); (B) the shape of male genitalia, especially endomeral complex with conspicuously serrated Y-shaped anterior end ( Fig. 5 A) and (C) smaller dimension, especially TW (0.49–0.50 vs. 0.54 for male and 0.52–0.53 vs. 0.58 for female). Only one bird was examined.

Etymology. The name of this species is formed by the combination of a suffix referring to the species name of type host, and a prefix indicating that it is a new, additional species of Brueelia described from Zoothera dauma .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Brueelia neodaumae. A, dorso-ventral view of male. B, dorso-ventral view of female. Scales = 0.10 mm for both figures.

FIGURE 5. Brueelia neodaumae. A, male genitalia. B, dorsal view of male terminalia. C, head of male. D, ventral view of female terminalia. Scales = 0.10 mm for all figures.