Quadraceps punctatus clayae Timmermann, 1952

Al-Ahmed, Azzam, Shobrak, Mohammed & Nasser, D., 2014, Chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) from Red Sea gulls with new host-parasite records, Zootaxa 3790 (4), pp. 567-576 : 572-573

Quadraceps punctatus clayae Timmermann, 1952

( Figs 3 c, 4f)

Quadraceps punctatus clayi [sic] Timmermann, 1952a: 212, fig. 2b.

Quadraceps punctatus clayae Timmermann, 1952 ; Price et al. 2003: 226.

Type host: Ichthyaetus hemprichii (Bruch, 1853) —Sooty gull.

Material examined (n = 41). Ex Ichthyaetus hemprichii (Bruch, 1853) : 1♂, 3♀, Jeddah (21o24'56''N, 39o11'13''E), 25 Apr. 2013.

Ex Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus (Temminck, 1825) : 3♂, 4♀, Jazan Fish Market (16o54'9''N, 42o32'40''E), 23 Nov. 2012; 7♂, 20♀, 3N, Jazan Fish Market (16o54'12''N, 42o32'40''E), 24 Nov. 2012.

Remarks. Species of the genus Quadraceps are exclusively parasitic on members of the order Charadriiformes ( Price et al. 2003: 222) . Quadraceps punctatus (Burmeister, 1838) is a well-known species recorded from almost all species of gulls ( Price et al. 2003: 226). It is characterized by: a delicate and elongated white body with black spots; head longer than wide; generally colourless male genitalia with broad and sharply bent paramers ( Fig. 4 c). Based on the gradation in size, shape and distribution of the black spots, Timmermann (1952a) recognized and described eight subspecies within Q. punctatus , from the palest to the darkest form. Quadraceps punctatus clayae is one of the darkly pigmented subspecies ( Fig. 3 c), characterized by the prothorax with connected spots ( Fig. 4 f), and the female first abdominal tergal plate not pigmented.

Figures

FIGURE 3. a, male Actornithophilus piceus lari; b, male Austromenopon transversum; c, male Quadraceps punctatus clayae; d, male Quadraceps punctatus regressus; e, male Saemundssonia lari; f, female Saemundssonia lari.

FIGURE 4. a, male genitalia Actornithophilus piceus lari; b, prothorax Austromenopon transversum; c, male genitalia Quadraceps punctatus; d, male genitalia Saemundssonia lari. Prothorax pigmentation: e, Quadraceps punctatus pallidus; f, Quadraceps punctatus clayae; g, Quadraceps punctatus regressus.