Brueelia interposita (Kellogg, 1899)

Palma, Ricardo L. & Peck, Stewart B., 2013, <strong> An annotated checklist of parasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from the Galápagos Islands </ strong>, Zootaxa 3627 (1), pp. 1-87 : 33

Brueelia interposita (Kellogg, 1899)

Nirmus interpositus Kellogg, 1899: 23 , pl. 2, fig. 7.

Nirmus interpositus Kellogg, 1899 ; Kellogg & Kuwana 1902: 475.

Degeeriella interposita (Kellogg, 1899) ; Harrison 1916: 115.

Brüelia interposita (Kellogg, 1899) ; Hopkins & Clay (1952: 57.

Brueelia interposita (Kellogg, 1899) ; Clay in Linsley & Usinger 1966: 129.

Brueelia interposita (Kellogg, 1899) ; Sari et al. 2012: 3, 6, 8.

Lectotype ♀ in EMEC ( Carriker 1957: 101, but sex given incorrectly as “male”).

Type host: Dendroica petechia bryanti Ridgway, 1873 .

Galápagos hosts: Dendroica petechia aureola (Gould, 1839) ; Geospiza magnirostris Gould, 1837 ; Geospiza fortis Gould, 1837 ; Geospiza fuliginosa Gould, 1837 ; Geospiza difficilis difficilis Sharpe, 1888 ; Geospiza difficilis debilirostris Ridgway, 1894 ; Camarhynchus crassirostris Gould, 1837 ; Camarhynchus psittacula habeli Sclater & Salvin, 1870 ; Camarhynchus psittacula psittacula Gould, 1837 .

Galápagos localities: Isla Pinta; Isla Fernandina; Isla Santiago; Isla Isabela; Isla Santa Cruz, Isla San Cristóbal.

Galápagos references: Kellogg & Kuwana (1902); Kellogg (1908: 26); Thompson (1939: 76); Linsley & Usinger (1966); Sari et al. (2012).

Other significant references: Thompson (1937b: 441); Hopkins & Clay (1952: 57); Carriker (1957: 101); Cicchino (1983: 293); Price et al. (2003: 155).

Material examined: 35 males, 58 females and 12 nymphs (34 samples, EMEC, MONZ) .

Remarks: This is one of two Brueelia species parasitic on Galápagos finches, but the only species living on Galápagos yellow warblers. Considering the relatively distant taxonomic position of the hosts (see Dickinson 2003: 760, 795) and the presence of B. interposita on other non-Galápagos hosts ( Price et al. 2003: 155), there is a possibility that the B. interposita populations living on Galápagos finches originated from Galápagos yellow warblers by successful host colonisation events (see Ewing 1927: 247; Thompson 1937b: 441). Sari et al. (2012: 3) reported a single specimen of B. interposita from Myiarchus magnirostris , which they regarded as a natural straggler from a yellow warbler transported by a hippoboscid fly ( Sari et al. 2012: 8).

From the Kellogg Collection, we examined eight specimens reported and labelled as “ Nirmus interpositus ” by Kellogg & Kuwana (1902: 475), five of them from Geospiza fuliginosa , G. fortis and Camarhynchus crassirostris , and three from incorrect hosts. Our records of B. interposita from Geospiza magnirostris , G. difficilis and Camarhynchus psittacula are new host-louse associations.

Genus Columbicola Ewing, 1929

Columbicola Ewing, 1929 . Manual External Parasites: 190. Type species: Esthiopterum columbae ( Linnaeus, 1758) = Columbicola columbae ( Linnaeus, 1758) (by original designation).