Aratricerca cerata 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 : 508-511

Aratricerca cerata Gustafsson, Zou & Bush , new species

( Figs 1–7 )

Type host. Zosterops capensis Sundevall, 1850 — Cape white-eye ( Zosteropidae ).

Type locality. Potchefstroom , North West Province, South Africa .

Diagnosis. A broad male proximal mesosome ( Fig. 6 ) and modified parameres ( Fig. 5 ) place Aratricerca cerata n. sp. closer to A. madagascariensis n. sp. ( Figs 18–19 ) than to the other two species of Aratricerca . The head shape of A. cerata ( Fig. 3 ) is unique. In both A. cerata ( Fig. 1 ) and A. madagascariensis ( Fig. 15 ) male abdominal segment XI extends less than in A. macki ( Fig. 8 ) and A. cirithra . Also, the distal margin of the male abdomen is sclerotised in A. cerata ( Fig. 1 ) and A. madagascariensis ( Fig. 15 ), but not in the two species from meliphagid hosts.

Aratricerca cerata differs from A. madagascariensis in the following characters: male subgenital plate extends to distal margin of abdomen in A cerata ( Fig. 1 ), but not in A. madagascariensis ( Fig. 15 ); male tergopleurite VI with 1 ps on each side in A. cerata ( Fig. 1 ), but with 2 ps in A. madagascariensis ( Fig. 15 ); male proximal mesosome quadratic in A. cerata ( Fig. 6 ) but rounded and bulging anteriorly in A. madagascariensis ( Fig. 19 ); lateral margins of mesosomal lobes bluntly rectangular in A. cerata ( Fig. 6 ), but pointed in A. madagascariensis ( Fig. 19 ); paramere with median, thumb-like modification in A. cerata ( Fig. 5 ), but with lateral modification in A. madagascariensis ( Fig. 18 ).

Description. Both sexes. Head shape and chaetotaxy as in Fig. 3 ; lateral margins of preantennal area convex, frons rounded. Dorsal anterior plate with wide thickening as in Fig. 3 . Ventral anterior plate absent. Coni slender, short. Gular plate triangular, tapering anteriorly. Thoracic and abdominal segments as in Figs 1–2 .

Male. As in Fig. 1 . The holotype has two mts3 on each side, but these setae are absent in the paratypes and not illustrated. Male abdominal segment XI extended into a short, triangular tail, with sclerotised distal margin. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 1; 1 ps on each side of segment VI; tail with 1 ventral, 2 marginal, and 1 dorsal setae on each side. Basal apodeme ( Fig. 4 ) constricted at about mid-length. Proximal mesosome ( Fig. 6 ) broad, quadratic. Mesosomal lobes long and broad, with irregular lateral margins; section distal to gonopore wide, quadratic, without papillae; 2 gpmes sensilla on each side of gonopore. Gonopore widely open distally and narrowly open proximally, with small ventral crescent-shaped sclerite. Parameral heads ( Fig. 5 ) bifid, with lateral finger much smaller than median finger, and displaced distally; parameral blades with median bulge; pst2 sensilla on terminal end. Measurements (n = 2, except TL where n = 1): TL = 2.08; HL = 0.37–0.40; HW = 0.31–0.33; PRW = 0.21–0.24; PTW = 0.24–0.27; AW = 0.37–0.42.

Female. As in Fig. 2 . Tergopleurite IX+X medianly continuous, but narrowed medianly ( Fig. 2 ). Sternal plate III without antero-lateral thickenings. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 2 ; ss of segments II–III, V, and VIII not visible in single examined female, and illustrated tentatively; all other ss very short and remnants of gut content may obscure the seemingly absent setae. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 7 ) diffuse distally and illustrated approximately; slender. Vulval margin ( Fig. 7 ) with 5–6 long, slender vms on each side, and 6–7 short, thorn-like vss on each side; 5–6 vos on each side distal 2 vos on or near distal margin of subgenital plate, median to vss. Measurements (n = 1): TL = 2.49; HL = 0.41; HW = 0.36; PRW = 0.25; PTW = 0.27; AW = 0.46.

Type material. Ex Zosterops capensis [as Zosterops vaalensis ]: Holotype ♂, Potchefstroom, North West Province (as “ W. Transvaal ”), South Africa, 18 May 1953, Brit. Mus. 1954-474 ( NHML). Paratypes. 1♂, 1♀, same data as holotype ( NHML) .

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from “ kératos ”, Greek for “horn”, referring to the prominent median horns of the parameres.

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Aratricerca cerata n. sp. 1, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 2, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views. Abbreviations: ps—paratergal seta; ss—sutural seta; sts—sternal seta.

FIGURES 3–7. Aratricerca cerata n. sp. 3, male head, dorsal and ventral views. 4, male genitalia, dorsal view. 5, male paramere, dorsal view. 6, male mesosome, ventral view. 7, female subgenital plate and vulva margin, ventral view. Abbreviations: ads—anterior dorsal seta; lpmes—lateral posterior mesosomal seta; pst2—parameral seta 2; vms—vulval marginal seta; vos— vulval oblique setae; vss—vulval submarginal seta.

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.

FIGURES 8–9. Aratricerca macki n. sp. 8, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views. 9, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.