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

description: Psammonirmus lunatipectus Gustafsson et al. new species
(Figs 146–152)
Type host. Serilophus lunatus aphobus Deignan, 1948 — silver-breasted broadbill.
Type locality. Phu Phak Khi Nak Mountain, Kok Sathon, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, Thailand. Other host. Serilophus lunatus lunatus (Gould, 1834) — silver-breasted broadbill.
Diagnosis. No member of any other genus treated here appears to be particularly close to Psammonirmus n. gen. Laterally expanded mesosomes like those of Psammonirmus (Fig. 150) are also found in Hecatrishula n. gen. (Fig. 135) and Ceratocista n. gen. (Fig. 158), but these expanded sections are dorsal in Ceratocista and Psammonirmus, but ventral in Hecatrishula. In both Hecatrishula (Figs 132, 140) and Ceratocista (Fig. 155) the antennae are sexually dimorphic, but this is not the case in Psammonirmus (Fig. 148). In addition, Psammonirmus (Fig. 148) is the only one of these three genera in which the dorsal preantennal suture interruptes the marginal carnina laterally and completely surrounds the dorsal anterior plate. pns is absent in several genera treated above, such as Brueelia s. str. (Fig. 44) and Acronirmus (Fig. 85), and members of both these genera have dorsal preantennal sutures that are similar to that of Ps. lunatipectus, but the differences in male genitalia (see above) are extensive, and do not suggest a close relationship with either of these genera.
Description. Both sexes. Head shape, structure, and chaetotaxy as in genus description and Fig. 148. Female heads generally more pointed anteriorly than male heads (Figs 146–147). Thoracic and abdominal segments as in genus description and Figs 146–147.
Male. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2 and Fig. 146; ps of sternal plates III–VI often absent on one or both sides. Basal apodeme rounded rectangular (Fig. 149). Proximal mesosome fishtail-shaped, slender. Gonopore (Fig. 150) elongated, narrowly open distally. Mesosomal lobes wide, comb-shaped, overlapping considerably with parameres dorsally; distal margin pectinate; 2 pmes lateral to gonopore on ventral side (Fig. 150). Parameral heads distinctly bifid (Fig. 151). Parameral blades strongly curved, tapering, with distinct heel just distal to mesosome; pst1–2 not visible. Measurements ex Serilophus lunatus aphobus (n = 3): TL = 1.19–1.23; HL = 0.39–0.42; HW = 0.35–0.36; PRW = 0.20–0.22; PTW = 0.28–0.31; AW = 0.40–0.45. Ex S. l. lunatus (n = 2): TL = 1.31–1.34; HL = 0.41–0.42; HW = 0.36; PRW = 0.22–0.23; PTW = 0.29–0.31; AW = 0.43.
Female. Abdominal chaetotaxy as in Table 2 and Fig. 147; tps on tergopleurites V–VIII absent in many specimens. One female with an additional tps on tergopleurite VII on one side. Subgenital plate broad, almost quadratic (Fig. 152), with distal margin bulging, but indistinct in all specimens examined; probably reaching vulval margin where cross-piece is vaguely visible in some specimens. Vulval margin (Fig. 152) gently rounded almost flat medianly, with 3–7 short, slender vms on each side (more lateral setae generally progressively longer than median setae), and 9–12 thorn-like vss on each side; 3–6 long, slender vos; distal vos median to vss. Measurements ex Serilophus lunatus aphobus (n = 3): TL = 1.39–1.60; HL = 0.40–0.45; HW = 0.35–0.39; PRW = 0.21–0.23; PTW = 0.28–0.30; AW = 0.40–0.46. Ex S. l. lunatus (n = 5 except n = 3 for AW): TL = 1.65–1.83; HL = 0.44–0.48; HW = 0.39–0.41; PRW = 0.24–0.25; PTW = 0.31–0.34; AW = 0.46–0.50.
Etymology. The species epithet refers to the host species name, which derives from “ luna ”, Latin for “moon”, alluding to the thin, silver crescent mark on the chest of the host. The suffix derives from Latin “ pecten ” for “comb”, referring to the fringed distal margin of the mesosomal lobes.
Type material. Ex Serilophus lunatus aphobus: Holotype ♂, Phu Phak Khi Nak Mountain, Kok Sathon, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, Thailand, 25 Mar. 1955, R.E. Elbel, RE-5112 (NHML). Paratypes: 1♀, Ban Muang Khai, Tha Li District, Loei Province, Thailand, 31 Jan. 1955, R.E. Elbel, RE-4610, RT-B-31178 (NHML); 1♂, 1♀, Pho Lom Lo Mountain, Kok Sathon, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, Thailand, 6 Mar. 1955, R.E. Elbel, RE-4901 (NHML); 1♂, 1♀, Nanthaeo Ban Bo, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, Thailand, 14 May 1955, R.E. Elbel, RE- 5228 (NHML); 1♀, Nathaeo Ban Bo, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, Thailand, 14 May 1955, R.E. Elbel, RE- 5228 (PIPeR); 1♂, 1♀, Ban Muang Khai, Loei Province, Thailand, 31 Jan. 1955, R.E. Elbel, RE-4610, RT-B- 31178 (PIPeR); 1♂, 1♀, Phu Lom Lo Mountain, Kok Sathon, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, Thailand, 6 Mar. 1955, R.E. Elbel, RE-4901 (PIPeR).
Ex S. l. lunatus: 1♂, 1♀, Muang Ngai, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, 25 Apr. 1962, K. Thonglongya, SEATO-886 (NHML).
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 97-100, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4313.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/883161