Craneopsylla minerva (Rothschild)

Berrizbeitia, M. Fernanda Lopez, Sanchez, R. Tatiana, Barquez, Ruben M. & Diaz, M. Monica, 2017, An update on the distribution and nomenclature of fleas (Order Siphonaptera) of bats (Order Chiroptera) and rodents (Order Rodentia) from La Rioja Province, Argentina, ZooKeys 678, pp. 139-154 : 140

Craneopsylla minerva (Rothschild) Fig. 2a

Distribution in Argentina.

Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chubut, Córdoba, Jujuy, La Pampa, Mendoza, Neuquén, Río Negro, Salta, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego, and Tucumán ( Lareschi et al. 2016).

Material examined.

Famatina Department : (10) 5 km S of Cañón del Ocre (28°51'55.9"S, 67°41'26.3"W), 2495 m, Phyllotis xanthopygus , 6.XI.2013, RTS (40), 1 ♀ CMLA (608). General Facundo J. Quiroga Department: (14) 2 km E of Malanzán, camping El Descanso (30°48'37.7"S, 66°34'40.3"W), 957 m, G. chacoensis , 10.XI.2014, RTS (129), 1 ♀ CMLA (611). San Martín Department: (15) Ulapes, 1 km W of plaza principal de Ulapes (31°34'35"S, 66°14'55"W), 493 m, G. chacoensis , 4.X.2014, RTS (84), 2 ♀ CMLA (609, 610) .

Additional records.

Capital Department: (9) Cuesta La Cébila, 22 km NW of Chumbicha, by route 60 (28°50'S, 66°24'W), 1066 m Akodon simulator Thomas, CML (3752), 1 ♀ ( Lareschi et al. 2003).

Remarks.

The genus Craneopsylla is monotypic, and C. minerva is distinguished mainly by the genal bristles on the level of the proximal portion of the mouthparts and adjacent structures ( Hopkins and Rothschild 1956). Although some authors ( Hopkins 1951; Lareschi et al. 2016) consider there are two subspecies, C. m. minerva (Rothschild) and C. m. wolffhuegeli (Rothschild), Del Ponte (1977) considered C. minerva and C. wolffhuegeli to be valid species. We believe more detailed morphological and molecular studies are needed to resolve this taxonomic issue. Here we accept these taxa at the species level. Lareschi et al. (2003) cited as Akodon simulator Thomas the name of the host species, but we use A. glaucinus following Coyner et al. (2013). The authors cited the collecting locality as belonging to Catamarca Province but, in effect, it is placed within La Rioja Province. Moreover, in the same study, a specimen cited as C. minerva , was reidentified by us as Polygenis acodontis , a member of another family, Rhopalopsyllidae (see below). All localities cited in Material Examined and Additional Records correspond to the Dry Chaco and Monte Desert of Mountains and Isolated Valleys eco-regions.

Figures

Figure 2. Species of fleas representing the first record for La Rioja Province, Argentina. a Craneopsylla minerva, ♀ CMLA (608) (Stephanocircidae b Polygenis (Polygenis) acodontis, ♂ CMLA (674) (Rhopalopsyllidae) c Delostichus talis, ♀ CMLA (616) (Rhopalopsyllidae) d Delostichus talis, ♂ CMLA (619) (Rhopalopsyllidae) e Tiamastus palpalis, ♀ CMLA (631) (Rhopalopsyllidae) f Tiamastus palpalis, ♂ CMLA (629) (Rhopalopsyllidae). Scale = 500 um.