Myrsidea whitemani Price, Johnson

Price, Roger D., Johnson, Kevin P. & Dalgleish, Robert C., 2008, Myrsidea Waterston (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) from wrens (Passeriformes: Troglodytidae), with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 1740, pp. 59-65 : 60-61

Myrsidea whitemani Price, Johnson , and Dalgleish, new species

( Figs. 1–4 )

Type host. Campylorhynchus rufinucha (Lesson, 1838) , the Rufous-naped Wren.

Female. Head with weakly developed hypopharyngeal sclerites ( Fig. 2 ). Dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen as in Fig. 1 . Metanotal posterior margin with 10 setae; metasternal plate with 6–8 setae. Without any obviously enlarged tergites, but with slight medioposterior convexity on III and IV. Tergal setae: I, 17–18; II, 18–21; III, 21–23; IV, 22–26; V, 21–25; VI, 22–24; VII, 17–18; VIII, 8. Postspiracular setae on III and V–VII all at least 0.35 long. Pleurites: I–II with relatively uniform short setae; III-VII with fine longer setae toward midline; VIII with unusually long seta flanked on each side by much shorter seta. Sternal setae: II, each aster with 5–6 including quite long inners, 16–20 marginal between asters, 10–15 anterior; III, 33–38; IV, 50–54; V, 49–57; VI, 36–40; VII, 18–20; VIII–IX, 25–31. Anus with 34–36 ventral, 30–38 dorsal fringe setae. Dimensions: TW, 0.51–0.53; HL, 0.29–0.33; PW, 0.33–0.35; MW, 0.51–0.52; AWIV, 0.78–0.86; ANW, 0.27–0.29; TL, 1.68–1.81.

Male. Metathorax and abdominal pleurites ( Fig. 3 ) as for female. Tergal setae: I, 12–13; II, 19–21; III–VI, 20–22; VII, 16–17; VIII, 8. Sternal setae: II, 5 in each aster, 15–16 marginal between asters, 12 anterior; III, 27–31; IV, 40–42; V, 36–44; VI, 35–36; VII, 21–22; VIII, 9. Genital sac sclerite slender throughout length ( Fig. 4 ). Dimensions: TW, 0.46–0.47; HL, 0.28–0.29; PW, 0.31–0.32; MW, 0.40–0.41; AWIV, 0.58–0.60; GL, 0.44–0.46; TL, 1.46–1.49.

Type material. Holotype female (to USNM), ex C. rufinucha , COSTA RICA: Guanacaste, Santa Maria, Hacienda Solimar, 5 May 1995, Fisher & JS #2178. Paratypes: 4 females, 1 male (to USNM), 1 female, 1 male (to INHS), same data as holotype.

Remarks. Both sexes of this species may readily be recognized by a combination of their large dimensions, their large number of abdominal tergal and sternal setae, their longer and more numerous aster setae on sternite II, and the hypopharynx with weakly developed sclerites.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Noah Whiteman, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in recognition of his contributions to understanding the ecology and population genetics of bird lice.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Myrsidea whitemani. 1. Female dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen. 2. Female hypopharyngeal sclerites. 3. Male dorsoventral metathorax and abdomen. 4. Male genital sac sclerite.