Philopteroides lineatus (Giebel, 1874)

Valim, Michel P. & Palma, Ricardo L., 2013, Three new species of the genus Philopteroides Mey, 2004 (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera, Philopteridae) from New Zealand, ZooKeys 297, pp. 71-89 : 73-74

Philopteroides lineatus (Giebel, 1874)

Docophorus lineatus Giebel, 1874: 91.

Philopterus lineatus (Giebel, 1874); Harrison 1916: 98; Hopkins and Clay 1952: 285; Price et al. 2003: 215.

Philopteroides lineatus (Giebel, 1874); Mey 2004: 174.

Type host.

Arachnothera longirostra (Latham, 1790) - Little spiderhunter ( Nectariniidae ). See note below.

Distribution.

Unknown. The original description does not include a type locality. There are 13 subspecies of Arachnothera longirostra distributed throughout the Indo-Malayan region ( Dickinson, 2003).

Remarks.

Considering current louse species descriptions, Giebel’s (1874) description of Docophorus lineatus is superficial and without any illustration. However, from Giebel’s original comparison of this species with Docophorus communis (= Philopterus citrinellae (Schrank, 1776)), and in agreement with Harrison (1916), Hopkins and Clay (1952) and Price et al. (2003), we believe, without doubt, that Docophorus lineatus belongs to the Philopterus -complex.

In his original description, Giebel (1874) clearly states "... Schläfenecke drei sehr lange über den Prothorax hinausragende" (= "... marginal temporal carina with three very long macrochaetae projecting beyond the prothorax"). This feature is present in species of Philopterus Nitzsch, 1818 sensu stricto, Clayiella Eichler, 1940, and in a few species of Mayriphilopterus Mey, 2004, but not in species of Philopteroides which have, at most, two long marginal temporal setae (mts), with the mts2 always short ( Mey 2004). Hence, it would appear that Docophorus lineatus is not a Philopteroides sensu stricto, unless Giebel (1874) included the ocular seta - which is medium to long in Philopteroides - in his three long marginal temporal setae, but the ocular seta does not project beyond the pronotum. Therefore, until material from the type host becomes available to allow for a neotype designation, it is not possible to establish with certainty the correct generic position of Docophorus lineatus within the Philopterus -complex.

Regarding the host-louse association of Docophorus lineatus , Giebel (1874) gave the type host as " Arachnothera (Certhia) longirostris ". Hopkins and Clay (1952: 285) interpreted that host species as being conspecific with " Certhia b. brachydactyla Brehm", according to the bird nomenclature of the time. However, Dickinson (2003: 714) listed Arachnothera longirostra (Latham, 1790) as a valid species in the family Nectariniidae , as well as Certhia brachydactyla Brehm, 1820 as a valid species in the family Certhiidae ( Dickinson 2003: 648). In our opinion, the name of the species of the type host given by Giebel (1874) is the most important piece of information to establish the correct type host, regardless of the genus or subgenus associated with that species. Therefore, in agreement with Mey (2004: 174, footnote), we consider that the type host of Docophorus lineatus is Arachnothera longirostra (Latham, 1790). The fact that another species of Philopteroides has a type host in the family Nectariniidae (see Philopterus sclerotifrons Tandan, 1955 below) is further evidence that (1) Arachnothera longirostra is the correct type host for Docophorus lineatus and (2) Philopteroides may be the correct genus for Docophorus lineatus . Furthermore, there is no species of Philopteroides recorded from any member of the Certhiidae .

beckeri species-group

The trapezoidal shape of the head is a distinctive character in the two species of this group. The preantennal region is short (POL 0.15-0.18) and broad (ANW 0.13-0.15), with a hyaline margin shallowly concave at midline. Conus very reduced.