Dennyus sp.

Al-Shammery, Kholoud A., 2021, New records for chewing lice of the genus Dennyus Neumann, 1906 (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) on two swifts from Saudi Arabia, Biodiversity Data Journal 9, pp. 67927-67927 : 67927

Dennyus sp.

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Kholoud A. Al-Shammery; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: 1 nymph; Taxon: kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda ; class: Insecta ; order: Phthiraptera ; family: Menoponidae ; genus: Dennyus ; specificEpithet: sp.; Location : country: Saudi Arabia; stateProvince: Sabia , Jazan; Event : eventDate: February /2018

Description

Head roughly triangular, third wider than long, antenna along with a large fourth segment, temple rectangular without any chitinisation, gula weakly developed, with a row of relatively long seta; prothorax small broader than long, meso and meta thorax equal in length with acute lateral margin, meta thorax with two small spine-like seta on each lateral margin; forelegs with flattened enlarged femora and large coxa, as characteristic of the genus, hind femora with patch medium-sized brush; abdomen rectangular without pigmentation, first segment with transverse characteristic chitinisation, lateral margin rounded with five very small thorns like seta on segment III-V; segment IV and V with a clear ventral brush; male terminalia much narrower (Fig. 2 ).

Measurements: Female HL: 0.39; HW: 0.53; HI: 0.74; TL: 0.53; AL: 0.95; TOL: 1.87 ± 0.2.

Distribution

Afrotropical

Ecology

Local host: African palm swift Cypsiurus parvus (Lichtenstein, 1823).

Known hosts: Cypsiurus parvus (Lichtenstein, 1823), African palm swift.

Notes

From my examination and description, as well as the host/parasite association, this species could be D. (Dennyus) cypsiurus and, in this case, it will be the first record from Saudi Arabia. Not much is known about that species. The collected samples were found on the body feathers near the anus of the host.

Figures

Figure 2. Nymph of Dennyus sp.; upper left: Head; lower left: Genital region; right side: close up to the body; the scale bar is only applicable to the full body image.