Myrsidea chesseri Johnson and Price, 2006

Johnson, Kevin P. & Price, Roger D., 2006, Five new species of Myrsidea Waterston (Phthiraptera: Menopo- nidae) from bristlebills and greenbuls (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae) in Ghana, Zootaxa 1177, pp. 27-37 : 30-32

Myrsidea chesseri Johnson and Price , new species ( Figs. 7–8 )

Type host. Criniger barbatus (Temminck) , the Western Bearded Greenbul .

Male. Head and thorax much as for M. masoni ; gula with 4 setae on each side; metast­ ernal plate with 4–6 setae. Tergal setae: I, 6–7; II–III, 10–11; IV–VI, 10–12; VII, 8–9; VIII, 8. Postspiracular setae very long on I–VIII. Sternal setae: II, each aster with 4 setae, remainder with 15–17; III, 19–20; IV–V, 30–34; VI, 26–29; VII, 8; VIII, 4. Genital sac sclerite as in Fig. 8 . Dimensions: TW, 0.43; HL, 0.30–0.31; PW, 0.27–0.29; MW, 0.37– 0.40; AWIV, 0.51–0.52; LSVII, 0.13–0.14; GL, 0.42–0.43; TL, 1.30.

Female. Head and thorax as for male, except gula with 4–5 setae on each side and metasternal plate with 6 setae. Abdomen as in Fig. 7 . Tergites I–VIII of similar size, with straight posterior margin. Tergal setae: I, 7; II, 11; III–IV, 12; V–VI, 13; VII, 9; VIII, 8. Postspiracular setae as for male. Sternal setae: II, each aster with 4 setae, remainder with 17; III, 28; IV, 35; V, 43; VI, 34; VII, 8; VIII–IX with 9 marginal, 8 anterior setae. Anus with 36–37 ventral and dorsal fringe setae. Dimensions: TW, 0.48; HL and PW, 0.32; MW, 0.46; AWIV, 0.61; LSVII, 0.22; ANW, 0.25; TL, 1.56.

Type material. Female holotype, ex C. barbatus , GHANA: Goaso, 19 March 2003, K. P. Johnson, BDM 794. Paratypes: 2 males, same data as holotype.

Remarks. Both sexes of M. chesseri are separated from those of M. masoni by having consistently fewer tergal setae on III–VIII; more setae on sternite III and fewer on sternite VII; each side of gula with 4, less often 5, setae; metasternal plate usually with 6 setae; and each aster on sternite II with only 4 setae. The female of M. chesseri has fewer subgenital plate setae and the male has a distinctively different structure of the genital sac sclerite. The combination of features of chaetotaxy of both sexes, the relatively unmodified female abdominal tergites, and the structure of the male genital sac sclerite support separation of M. chesseri from previously described species.

Etymology. This species is named for Terry Chesser ( U.S. National Museum of Natural History) in recognition of his assistance in collecting lice from a wide variety of birds.

Figures

FIGURES 7–10. 7–8, Myrsidea chesseri. 7, Female metanotum and dorsoventral abdomen. 8, Male genital sac sclerite. 9–10, M. palmeri. 9, Female metanotum and dorsoventral abdomen. 10, Male genital sac sclerite.