Mirandofures Bush 2017, new genus
Creators: name: Bush, Sarah E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Phthiraptera
Philopteridae
Mirandofures

description: Mirandofures Gustafsson & Bush, new genus
Nirmus Nitzsch, 1818: 291 (in partim). Brueelia Kéler, 1936a: 257 (in partim).
Type species. Mirandofures kamena new species
Diagnosis. The structure of the male genitalia of Mirandofures n. gen. (Figs 94–96, 102–104) suggests a close relationship with Brueelia s. str. (Figs 45–47), Teinomordeus n. gen. (Figs 79–81), Sychraella n. gen. (Figs 110– 112), and Anarchonirmus n. gen. (Figs 118–120), yet members of all these genera (except Br. phasmasoma n. sp., Fig. 58) lack a dorsal preantennal suture and have uninterrupted marginal carina. In contrast, the marginal carina of Mirandofures (Figs 92, 100) is interrupted laterally, and these interruptions are connected transversally by a suture that does not reach or approach the anterior end of the head. This dorsal preantennal suture pattern is unique within the Brueelia -complex. The marginal carina of some species within Brueelia s. str. widens at the osculum, but this pattern is never as extreme in Brueelia s. str. as in Mirandofures where the wideing forms a marginal carinal plate (Fig. 92). Male genitalia of Mirandofures are variable (Figs 94–96, 102–104), with some being more similar to those of Brueelia s. str. (Figs 45–47) and some more similar to those of Teinomordeus (Figs 79–81). In Mirandofures (Figs 96, 104) pst1 is distal to pst2, which is similar to Sychraella (Fig. 112), but unlike in Brueelia s. str. (Fig. 47), Teinomordeus (Fig. 81), Acronirmus (Fig. 88), and Anarchonirmus (Fig. 120).
Description. Both sexes. Head drop-shaped to trapezoidal (Figs 92, 100). Preantennal area much elongated in some species (Fig. 92). Marginal carina interrupted only laterally, deeply displaced dorsally and posteriorly at osculum. Displaced section in many species widened into distinct marginal carinal plate. Ventral anterior plate present. Ventral carinae typically continuous with marginal carina but diffuse anteriorly in some species. Dorsal preantennal suture arises from lateral interruptions of marginal carina and is transversally continuous; dorsal anterior plate roughly triangular. Head setae as in Figs 92, 100; as3, pns, and pos absent; as1 often minute and hard to see; vsms1 much longer than vsms2; ads located in transversal suture. Coni moderate, blunt. Antennae sexually dimorphic, with male scapes (Figs 92, 100) longer and thicker than female scapes (Figs 93, 101). Pedicel and flagellomeres often slightly longer in male than in female. Temporal carinae not visible; mts 3 only macrosetae. Gular plate long, spade-shaped.
Prothorax (Figs 90–91, 98–99) square to slightly rectangular; ppss on postero-lateral corner. Proepimera slender median ends; hook- or hammer-shaped. Pterothorax trapezoidal (Figs 90–91, 98–99); lateral margins moderately divergent; posterior margin flat or rounded convergent to blunt median point; mms widely to moderately separated medianly. Meso- and metasterna not fused, either with one seta on postero-lateral corner on each side of both plates, or with setae only on postero-lateral corners of metasternum. Metasternum typically much larger than mesosternum. Metepisternum very broad: median ends blunt. Distance between coxae II–III much larger than between coxae I–II. Third pair of legs typically noticeably longer than others. Leg chaetotaxy as in Fig. 25 except fI-d1, fI-p2, fI-v4, fII-v2, fIII-v2 absent.
Abdomen drop-shaped in male (Figs 90, 98), elongated oval in female (Figs 91, 99). Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Tables 2 and 4. The most lateral tps is often longer than more median tps, but it is not associated with the sensillus of the psps, and therefore we do not interpret these as psps here (however Mirandofures fasciata Sychra [in Sychra et al.], 2010a, has setae that appears to be psps and aps; but we have not examined any material of this species). Tergopleurites square to rectangular; tergopleurites II–IX+X in male and tergopleurites II–VIII in female narrowly divided medianly. Sternal plates medianly continuous, broad, approaching pleurites. Pleural incrassations with dorsal and ventral median margins. Re-entrant heads elaborate, hook-shaped. Male subgenital plate broadly trapezoidal (Fig. 90) to T-shaped (Fig. 98) reaching posterior margin of abdomen. Female subgenital plate variable (Figs 97, 105; see also e.g. Mi. amandavae Rékási & Saxena, 2005). Vulval margin (Figs 97, 105) with slender vms, thorn-like vss; vos forms transversal row on posterior end of segment VII, with some setae scattered posterior to subgenital plate in some species (e.g. Mi. kamena n. sp., Fig. 97).
Male genitalia as in Figs 94–96, 102–104. Basal apodeme rectangular, with or without constriction at midlength; posterior margin indented medianly. Proximal mesosome oval or trapezoidal, small. Gonopore (Figs 95, 103) closed proximally. Mesosomal lobes small, typically densely rugose along distal and lateral margins. Up to 3 pmes visible on each side near gonopore. Parameral heads blunt (Fig. 104) or shallowly bifid (Fig. 96) Parameral blades typically elongated triangular, but may be much extended distally as in Mirandofures altoguineae (Fig. 104); pst1 sensillus, located distal to pst2 and at or near distal tip of parameres; pst2 microseta, lateral. Both pst1–2 often hard to see.
Host distribution. Mirandofures is so far known mainly from members of the Estrildidae. Apart from the species listed below, we have seen material from a range of genera within this family, indicating that Mirandofures may be found throughout the Estrildidae.
Geographical range. Mirandofures appears to occur throughout the range of the host family, with species described from Africa, Asia, and Australasia.
Etymology. Mirandofures is a combination of Latin “ miranda ”, meaning “worthy of admiration”, and Latin “fur ”, meaning “thief”, with the arbitrary ending “ es ”. Gender: feminine.
Remarks. Mirandofures formed a monophyletic clade in the phylogenies of Balakrishnan & Sorensen (2006) and Bush et al. (2016). In the Balakrishnan & Sorensen (2006) study, the Brueelia -complex lice on the Estrildidae were placed in a polytomy with other clades which may all be Brueelia s. str., but we have not studied their material, and no identifications to species level were given in their paper. In their COI-only tree (Balakrishnan & Sorensen 2006: fig. 3), the group from the Estrildidae is placed as a sister group to a taxon we suspect is Brueelia s. str. This placement was echoed roughly in Bush et al. (2016), where Mirandofures (“Clade J”) forms a sister group to Acronirmus, and together these are placed as a sister group to Brueelia s. str. In Bush et al’s. (2016) analysis, the Mirandofures terminal taxa show several deep divisions, possibly reflecting the large differences in male genitalia found in the genus. Mirandofures kamena is placed as a sister to all other Mirandofures, perhaps reflecting the unique shape of the female subgenital plate found in this species.
Included species
* Mirandofures altoguineae new species
* Mirandofures amandavae (Rékási & Saxena, 2005: 88) n. comb. [in Brueelia] Mirandofures astrildae (Tendeiro & Mendes, 1994: 124) n. comb. [in Brueelia] Mirandofures fasciata (Sychra [in Sychra et al.], 2010a: 61) n. comb. [in Brueelia]
* Mirandofures kamena new species
Mirandofures lonchurae (Tendeiro & Mendes, 1994: 125) n. comb. [in Brueelia] Mirandofures munia (Ansari, 1955b: 56) n. comb. [in Brueelia]
* Mirandofures muniae (Eichler, 1957: 580) n. comb. [in Brueelia] [1] Brueelia eichleri Lakshminarayana, 1969: 62 new synonymy
* Mirandofures stenozona (Kellogg & Chapman, 1902: 158) n. comb. [in Brueelia]
[1] A single letter is technically sufficient to prevent homonymy according to article 57.6 of the I.C.Z. N (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1999). We therefore reinstate Eichler's name.
description: Published as part of Bush, Sarah E., 2017, Morphological revision of the hyperdiverse Brueelia - complex (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) with new taxa, checklists and generic key, pp. 1-443 in Zootaxa 4313 (1) on pages 66-68, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4313.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/883161