Myrsidea cayanensis Price, Hellenthal and Dalgleish

Price, Roger D., Hellenthal, Ronald A. & Dalgleish, Robert C., 2005, The genus Myrsidea Waterston (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) from tyrant­flycatchers (Passeriformes: Tyrannidae), with descriptions of 13 new species, Zootaxa 1048, pp. 1-20 : 15

Myrsidea cayanensis Price, Hellenthal and Dalgleish , new species ( Figs. 18–19 )

Type host. Myiozetetes cayanensis (L.), Rusty­margined Flycatcher.

Female. Dorsal thorax and dorsoventral abdomen as in Fig. 18 . Metanotum with 9 marginal setae. Tergite I with very slight medioposterior convexity, II with wide rounded convexity, III with moderate rounded convexity, IV–VI with slight median compression, and VII–VIII normal. Tergal setae: I, 13; II–V, 14–15; VI, 13; VII, 11; VIII, 8. Postspiracular setae shortest on V, moderately long on I, III, and VI–VIII, and very long on II and IV. Sternal setae: II, each aster with 4–5 setae, 26 other setae; III, 25; IV, 40; V, 54; VI, 41; VII, 17; VIII–IX of subgenital plate, 20; posterior margin of subgenital plate with heavy irregular spiculations ( Fig. 19 ). Anus with 37 setae in dorsal fringe, 32 in ventral. Dimensions: TW, 0.50; HL, 0.34; PW, 0.31; PSL, 0.12; MW, 0.44; MSL, 0.16; AWIV, 0.61; ANW, 0.22; TL, 1.55.

Male. Unavailable.

Type material. Holotype female ( NMNH), ex M. cayanensis , VENEZUELA: Edo. Bolivar, 60 km E Sta. Elena, Jan 1987, R. C. Dalgleish.

Remarks. The female of this species, with its modification of the anterior abdominal tergites ( Fig. 18 ) coupled with the unusual spiculation associated with the posterior margin of the subgenital plate ( Fig. 19 ), the small number of marginal metanotal setae, and the large number of sternal setae on IV–VII, is separable from others of this group.

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 21. 18 – 19, Myrsidea cayanensis. 18, Female dorsal thorax and dorsoventral abdomen. 19, Margin of female subgenital plate. 20 – 21, Female dorsal thorax and dorsoventral abdomen. 20, M. olivacei. 21, M. spadicei.