Priceiella (Thescelovora) austini Gustafsson, Clayton & Bush, 2018

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Clayton, Dale H. & Bush, Sarah E., 2018, Twelve new species of Priceiella (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) from Old World babblers, with keys to species of two subgenera and checklists of species for the genus, Zootaxa 4382 (3), pp. 401-449 : 406-409

Priceiella (Thescelovora) austini Gustafsson, Clayton & Bush , new species

( Figs 8–14 )

Type host. Pomatorhinus ruficollis intermedius Cheng 1962 —streak-breasted scimitar-babbler ( Timaliidae ).

Type locality. Shiwandashan National Park , Guangxi Province, China.

Diagnosis. Priceiella (Thescelovora) austini n. sp. is most similar to P. (T.) malacocincla (Najer & Sychra [in Najer et al.], 2014), with which it shares the following characters: lateral margins of preantennal head straight to slightly concave ( Fig. 10 ); proximal mesosome rounded ( Fig. 12 ); basal apodeme noticeably constricted at midlength ( Fig. 11 ). The two species can be separated on the following characters: aps present on male tergopleurites V–VII in P. (T.) austini ( Fig. 8 ), but absent in P. (T.) malacocincla ; proximal mesosome broad in P. (T.) austini ( Fig. 12 ) but slender in P. (T.) malacocincla ; parameres parallel distally in P. (T.) malacocincla , but divergent distally in P. (T.) austini ( Fig. 11 ); basal apodeme widening considerably in proximal end in P. (T.) austini ( Fig. 11 ) but about as wide as in distal end in P. (T.) malacocincla ; male tergopleurite VIII with 2 tps on each side in P. (T.) austini ( Fig. 8 ) but with 1 tps on each side in P. (T.) malacocincla . Note that both P. (T.) austini and P. (T.) malacocincla have pns and dorsal preantennal suture, but these were not illustrated in the original description of P. (T.) malacocincla (T. Najer, pers. comm.).

Description. Both sexes. Head pentagonal ( Fig. 10 ), frons deeply concave, lateral margins of preantennal area straight. Marginal carina deeply displaced and widened at osculum. Dorsal preantennal suture reaches dsms but not more than half-way to ads. Head chaetotaxy as in Fig. 10 . Coni reach to or slightly beyond distal margin of scape. Pteronotum with 5 mms on each side ( Figs 8–9 ). Marginal carina and head nodi medium brown; gular plate, proepimera, metepisterna, pleural incrassations, subgenital plates and antero-lateral sections of tergopleurites pale brown; anterior sternal plates near translucent, more posterior plates progressively darker to pale brown.

Male. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 8 ; aps present on tergopleurites V–VIII. Male genitalia as in Figs 11– 13 . Basal apodeme constricted at mid-length, wide anteriorly ( Fig. 11 ). Proximal mesosome broad, gently rounded ( Fig. 12 ). Mesosomal lobes converge to rounded medial point distally. Lateral thickenings of lobes deeply sinuous, interrupted medially but diffuse distally. Ventral nodi with restricted rugose area; 2 ames sensilla sublaterally on each side near anterior ends of lobes; 1 pmes sensilla on each side immediately lateral to gonopore; 1 pmes microseta laterally on each side on postero-lateral margins of lobes, distal to rugose nodi. Parameral heads irregularly shaped ( Fig. 13 ), median section near-quadratic. Parameral blades divergent, short and widen at about mid-length; pst1 sensilla, sublateral; pst2 microseta, lateral. Measurements ex Pomatorhinus ruficollis intermedius (n = 3): TL = 1.22–1.36; HL = 0.32–0.34: HW = 0.34–0.35; PRW = 0.20; PTW = 0.30–0.31; AW = 0.41–0.45.

Female. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 9 . Antero-lateral corners of subgenital plate with slightly darker pigmentation (dotted lines in Fig. 14 ). Vulval margin gently rounded ( Fig. 14 ), with 3 slender vms and 5–8 thornlike vss on each side; 4–5 vos on each side; distal vos just anterior to vss. Measurements ex Pomatorhinus ruficollis intermedius (n = 8 except TL where n = 7): TL = 1.50–1.80; HL = 0.35–0.39; HW = 0.37–0.40; PRW = 0.21–0.23; PTW = 0.33–0.35; AW = 0.45–0.61.

Etymology. This species is named after Austin Roy Clayton, the twin son of Dale H. Clayton and Sarah E. Bush, for assistance in the collection of bird lice and other field work since he was seven years old.

Type material. Ex Pomatorhinus ruficollis intermedius : Holotype Ƌ, Shiwandashan National Park, Guanxi Province, China, 21 Apr. 2005, S.E. Bush & D.H. Clayton, host MBR-6692, louse P-913 ( NHML) . Paratypes: 2♂, 3♀, same data as holotype, host TJD-6220, lice P-918 (PIPeR) ; 1♀, same locality and collectors, 15 Apr. 2005, host TJD-6182, lice P-653 (PIPeR) ; 2♀, Jingxi County, Guangxi Province, China, 23 Sep. 2004, S.E. Bush, GC- 2004-2, P-184 (PIPeR) ; 2♀, same locality and collector, 26 Sep. 2004, AN-415, P-263 (PIPeR).

Figures

FIGURES 8–9. Priceiella (Thescelovora) austini n. sp. ex Pomatorhinus ruficollis intermedius Cheng, 1963. 8, male habitus, dorsal and ventral views.9, female habitus, dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURES10–14. Priceiella(Thescelovora) austinin. sp. exPomatorhinus ruficollis intermedius Cheng,1963.10, male head, dorsal and ventral views.11, male genitalia, dorsal view.12, male mesosome, ventral view. 13, male paramere,dorsal view.14, female subgenital plate and vulval margin, ventral view.