Dictyocotes furcatus, Gustafsson & Tian & Ren & Li & Sun & Zou, 2024

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Tian, Chunpo, Ren, Mengjiao, Li, Zhu, Sun, Xiuling & Zou, Fasheng, 2024, Separation of Goniocotes Burmeister, 1838, and Dictyocotes Kéler, 1940 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera), with descriptions of four new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 968, pp. 1-36 : 25-29

Dictyocotes furcatus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A69C962E-67B2-4865-A0F6-426AC84AAF66

Figs 16–20

Diagnosis

Dictyocotes furcatus sp. nov. is most similar to Dictyocotes haplogonus , with which it shares the bifurcated and elongated postero-lateral corner of male tergopleurite VIII ( Fig. 16 ). The tps just median to the psps on female tergopleurites II–VII is also found in D. haplogonus and D. tetraophasis , but the latter lacks the poster-lateral extensions of tergopleurites VII–VIII (male) and VI–VIII (female).

Dictyocotes furcatus sp. nov. can be separated from D. haplogonus by the following characters (see Kéler 1940 for illustrations of D. haplogonus ): male tergopleurite VI with only one tps on each side in D. furcatus ( Fig. 16 ), but with multiple tps on each side in D. haplogonus ; male tergopleurite VIII with 1 tps on each side in D. furcatus ( Fig. 16 ), but without tps in D. haplogonus ; male tergopleurite VIII extended further medianly in D. furcatus ( Fig. 16 ) than in D. haplogonus ; head proportionately broader in D. furcatus ( Fig. 18 ) than in D. haplogonus ; female os reaches approximately to site of pos in D. furcatus ( Fig. 17 ), but approximately to posterior end of head in D. haplogonus ; postero-lateral corner of female tergopleurite VIII bifurcated in D. furcatus ( Fig. 17 ), but not bifurcated in D. haplogonus ; female tergopleurite IX+X differently shaped in the two species, with that of D. furcatus ( Fig. 17 ) having a clear notch submedianly, which is absent in D. haplogonus .

Etymology

The specific name is derived from ‘ furcatus ’, Latin for ‘forked’, referring to the double-pointed postero-lateral corner of tergopleurite VIII in both sexes.

Type material

Holotype (ex Lophophorus lhuysii )

CHINA • ♂; Sichuan Province, Baoxing ; 29 Jun. 1983; collector unknown; box E0026136, slide 29; BMNH [male with everted genitalia, marked with black dot on slide].

Paratypes (ex Lophophorus lhuysii )

CHINA • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; BMNH .

Type host

Lophophorus lhuysii Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1866 – Chinese monal.

Type locality

Baoxing, Sichuan Province, China.

Description

Frons broadly rounded ( Fig. 18 ). Marginal carina broad, with no prominent attendant canals. No internal line; entire dorsal surface of head densely reticulated. Preantennal nodi elongated, broad. Male os macrosetae; female os mesosetae. Lateral temporal margins somewhat convex posteriorly, only slightly divergent. Occipital bulge slight, with mts5 apical. Occipital nod prominent.

Thoracic and abdominal segments and chaetotaxy as in Figs 16–17 . Rhombic sclerite not fused to pronotum. Pronotum with rounded postero-lateral corners. Proepimera separate medianly. Postero-lateral corners of pteronotum extended slightly laterally, giving “winged” appearance; posterior margin convergent to rounded median section; smns present as single seta on each side. Male tergopleurites not reduced much, except tergopleurite VIII which is not extended medianly; lateral tergopleurite IX+X semi-oval, not overlapping with median sclerite IX+X. Lateral accessory sternal plates absent. Male abdominal chaetotaxy: ss present on tergopleurites II–V; tps present on tergopleurites II–VII; psps present on tergopleurites II–VII; aps absent; ps present on segments III–VIII. Female abdominal chaetotaxy: ss present on tergopleurites II–VIII; tps present medianly on tergopleurites II–VIII and setae here interpreted as lateral tps present just median to psps on tergopleurites III–VII; psps present on tergopleurites II–VII; aps absent; ps present on segments III–VIII. All dorsal thoracic and all abdominal plates densely reticulated.

Male genitalia as in Fig. 19 . Basal apodeme long, slender, may reach to segment II; arched thickening present in distal third of basal apodeme; postero-lateral rugose extensions not present. Mesosome dorsally as slight, transversal thickening bearing 2 visible sensilla on each side, and distally as curved, distally convergent, submedian thickenings. Parameres somewhat curved, structure typical for genus.

Female genitalia as in Fig. 20 ; subgenital and subvulval plates absent. Vulval margin bilobed with median notch, with 22–24 short, slender vms (median 3–4 in inner rows) and 3–5 short, thorn-like vss on each side; 3–7 short, slender vos on each side in roughly parallel rows that do not reach level of vss.

Measurements as in Table 1.

Remarks

Holotype with one abdominal segment broken, and this has been illustrated based on the tergopleurite of the other side of the body.

Figures

Fig. 16. Dictyocotes furcatus sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (BMNH, slide 29, box E0026136). Habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Fig. 17. Dictyocotes furcatus sp. nov. Female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

Figs 18–20. Dictyocotes furcatus sp. nov. 18–19. Holotype, ♂ (BMNH, slide 29, box E0026136). 18. Head, dorsal and ventral views. 19. Genitalia, dorsal view. 20. Female genitalia, ventral view.