Picicola galbulica Valim & Linardi, 2006

Valim, Michel P. & Linardi, Pedro M., 2006, Two new species of Picicola Clay & Meinertzhagen, 1938 (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) from Piciformes (Bucconidae and Galbulidae) in Brazil, Zootaxa 1172, pp. 21-29 : 25-28

Picicola galbulica Valim & Linardi , new species

( Figs. 9–16 )

Type host: Galbula ruficauda Cuvier, 1816 —rufous­tailed jacamar ( Piciformes : Galbulidae )

This new species is assigned to the snodgrassi species­group as established by Dalgleish (1969), by having: conspicuous pleural thickenings with well marked re­entrant heads, head smoothly rounded anteriorly, and male genitalia with three sensilla on each dorsal endomeral arm. However, unlike other members of the snodgrassi species­group, the marginal carina is not different in its sclerotization.

Male and Female. General aspect of body slender ( Figs. 9 and 11 ). Head ( Figs. 10 and 12 ) rounded anteriorly. Pleural thickenings conspicuous with well marked re­entrant heads. Tergites II–VII of male and female entire and moderately sclerotised, entire, and without anterior median notch. Two anterior setae on tergite II. Sternites II–VI moderately visible. Pleural setae present on pleurites IV–VIII. Postspiracular setae present on III–VII. Abdomen slender (Length/Width index 2.16, male, and 2.19, female).

Male ( Fig. 9 ). Male genitalia as in Fig. 13 , with three sensilla on each dorsal endomeral arm ( Fig. 14 ) and genital plate as in Fig. 15 . Tergal central setae (except postespiracular setae): 2 on II–VI; 4 on VII–VIII. Sternal setae: 2 on sternites II–VI. Measurements: HL, 0.42–0.44 (0.43); TW, 0.34–0.36 (0.35); CI, 1.22–1.24 (1.23); POL, 0.10–0.12 (0.11); POW, 0.21–0.22 (0.22); PEL, 0.13–0.14 (0.14); PEW, 0.30 (0.30); AL, 0.90–0.98 (0.93); AW, 0.39–0.44 (0.43); GL, 0.20–0.22 (0.22); TL, 1.53–1.65 (1.58).

Female ( Fig. 11 ). Vulvar chaetotaxy with 16 setae (mean—6–9 on each side). Subgenital plate and vulvar region as in Fig. 16 . Tergal central setae (except post­ spiracular setae): 2 on II–VI; 4 on VII–VIII. Two sternal setae on sternites II–VI. Measurements: HL, 0.44–0.47 (0.45); TW, 0.35–0.40 (0.38); CI, 1.18–1.26 (1.18); POL, 0.11–0.13 (0.12); POW, 0.22–0.24 (0.23); PEL, 0.13–0.16 (0.143); PEW, 0.31–0.44 (0.34); AL, 0.96–1.13 (1.05); AW, 0.44–0.51 (0.48); TL, 1.61–1.84 (1.75).

Type material: male holotype, ex Galbula ruficauda , BRAZIL: Brasília, Distrito Federal, Fazenda Água Limpa (15º 57’S, 47º 56’W), 0 7 Oct. 2002, G52340, coll. Mieko Kanegae . Paratypes: 2 males and 6 females, 0 7 Oct. 2002, G 52339, coll. Mieko Kanegae, from same type locality and same type host as the holotype . Holotype and 10 paratypes are deposited in the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Entomological Collection/FIOCRUZ (IOCC) . Additional male and female paratypes are deposited in the Collection of Ectoparasites of the Departamento de Parasitologia / ICB­UFMG

.

Taxonomic remarks: The new species closely resembles Picicola striata , differing from it by chaetotaxy and morphometric characters. The four tergocentral setae on tergite VII of the males, the genitalia length (slightly longer in P. striata ), and details of the endomeral plate in the male genitalia allow separation of P. galbulica sp. n. from P. striata . In P. galbulica sp. n., the female genital chamber is more conspicuous than in P. striata .

Etymology: The specific name galbulica is derived from the generic name of the type host.

Discussion: The previous record of chewing lice from the white­eared puffbird ( Nystalus chacuru ) is by Oniki (1999: 188; as Bucco chacuru ) from two birds captured in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and by Johnson et al. (2002) from same species bird in Bolivia, both as Picicola sp. However, Price et a l. (2003) did not list these record because their checklist only includes published records of louse species, not genera. Picicola serrafreirei sp. n. is the second species of Picicola known from members of the family Bucconidae .

The only record of a chewing louse from the rufous­tailed jacamar is Menacanthus caudatus (Giebel, 1876) (Menoponidae) , listed as a doubtful species by Price and Emerson (1975) because its original description is inadequate and no type specimens, or material from the type host, were available to them. However, Price et al. (2003) have retained the validity of the species. Oniki (1999) found one specimen of Picicola sp. from the rufoustailed jacamar in Mato Grosso State ( Brazil) but she did not identify it further. Picicola galbulica sp. n. is the first species of Picicola recorded from any species of the family Galbulidae .

These morphological similarities among the species P. serrafreirei sp. n., P. galbulica sp. n., and P. striata are in accordance with the phylogenetic proposal of Johnson et al. (2002) using molecular data. Both studies show that species of Picicola on jacamars are closely related to the species on puffbirds.

Acknowledgments

This study is part of the M.Sc. thesis of M.P.V. in Parasitology / Programa de Pósgraduação em Parasitologia / Instituto de Ciências Biológicas / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / UFMG. We are most grateful to Mieko F. Kanegae (Brasília, DF—Brazil) for providing the specimens used for this study. We thank Ricardo L. Palma (Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand) and Robert C. Dalgleish (San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, USA) for their critical review of the manuscript. We would also like to thank Drª Yoshika Oniki (Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro­SP, Brazil) who loaned the specimens of Picicola striata for comparation and Fabio A. Hernandes (Universidade Estadual Paulista ­ S.J. Rio Preto­SP, Brazil) for assistance in preparing the plates.

Figures

FIGURES 9–12. Picicola galbulica Valim & Linardi n. sp. 1, dorsoventral male. 2, dorsoventral male head. 3, dorsoventral female. 4, dorsoventral female head. (Bar for figures 1 and 3 = 0.4mm, and figures 2 and 4 = 0.3mm)

FIGURES 13–16. Picicola galbulica Valim & Linardi n. sp. 5, male genitalia (bar = 0.6mm). 6, endomeral plate of male genitalia (bar = 0.3mm). 7, female genital plate and vulvar region (bar = 0.1mm). 8, male genital plate (setae not drawn) (bar = 0.2mm)