Myrsidea serini (Seguy, 1944)

CICCHINO, ARMANDO C. & VALIM, MICHEL P., 2015, NOTES ON TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTION OF MYRSIDEA SERINI (S & # 201; GUY, 1944) (PHTHIRAPTERA: AMBLYCERA: MENOPONIDAE) ON SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICAN PASSERINE BIRDS (AVES: PASSERIFORMES), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) 55 (16), pp. 231-243 : 241-242

Myrsidea serini vs. Myrsidea argentina ( Kellogg, 1906)

Myrsidea argentina was described from a single specimen, supposedly a female, taken from Chryso- mitris icterica (= Carduelis magellanica ) from Argentina, collected by Dr. Carlos Berg in 1902 ( Kellogg, 1906). Clay (1968: 238) believed that Kellogg’s specimen was a nymph, not a female. After a careful examination of Kellogg’s figure and certain details in his description, we agree with Clay’s contention, and most probably it is a third nymphal instar. In absence of specimens from C. magellanica , that M. argentina be or be not the same as M. serini is open to question, because some morphological features are difficult to reconcile even with those of the third nymphal instar of M. serini , as shown in Table 4. Nevertheless, these differences deserve the following comments:

— Dimensions: slight differences in OW and TL probably must be correlated with dimensions of their hosts. In fact, specimens from Icteridae tend to be noticeably larger than those from Fringillidae , so the three nymph III examined from Agelaioides b. badius are expected to exhibit larger dimensions than those from C. magellanica .

— Marginal setae of the metanotum: Kellogg point- ed out that “the straight posterior margin with four marginal hairs”. The specimens ex A. b. badius have unmistakably 6 marginal central setae. Perhaps some of the setae in Kellogg’s specimen be missing because no such a gap as illustrated by him ( Fig. 34 and Kellogg, 1906: fig. 7) separate the marginal setae from the long angular and short adjacent setae each side of the metanotum.

— Number of tergocentral setae in abdomen: some significant differences do exist in segments V– VIII. It is probable that the number of setae illustrated by Kellogg is result of partial superposition of dorsal and ventral views. This contention is based in the lacking of the noticeable gap that divides the tergo-central in a right and left portion (cf Figs. 33–34 ).

— Number of setae of the dorsal anal fringe: Kellogg’s figure illustrates ca. 15 setae, in agreement with our specimens from Agelaioides . This feature, in absence of other definitive details, led us to agree with Clay (1968) in that this specimens is not a female but a nymph, and most probably a third instar nymph, taking in mind that the adult female of M. serini has more than 30 hairs in the dorsal anal fringe.

Figures

FIGURES 33–34: Third nymphal instar of Myrsidea serini (Séguy, 1944) (ex Agelaioides badius badius) (33) and of “female” of Myrsidea argentina (Kellogg, 1906) (ex Carduelis magellanicus) (after Kellogg, 1906: 34).