Coronedax Ren, Tian, Grossi, Zou & Gustafsson 2024, gen. n.
Creators: name: Ren, Mengjiao
name: Tian, Chunpo
name: Grossi, Alexandra A.
name: Zou, Fasheng
name: Gustafsson, Daniel R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Psocodea
Philopteridae
Coronedax

description: Coronedax Ren, Tian, Grossi, Zou & Gustafsson gen. n.
Philopteroides Mey, 2004: 173 in partim.
Type species.
Coronedax longiceps new species.
Diagnosis.
Species of Coronedax gen. n. are almost indistinguishable morphologically from species of Philopteroides, but can be separated by the following characters: 1) mesosome distinct, broad (rectangular or of more irregular shape) in Philopteroides (Figs 2–5), but reduced to thickening along distal margin of basal apodeme in Coronedax (Figs 11, 12); 2) parameral seta 2 sensillous in Philopteroides (Figs 2–5), but as distinct seta that may be almost as long as the paramere in Coronedax (Figs 11, 12); 3) sternal plates II – VI each with 1 thorn-like and one normal seta on each side in Coronedax (Figs 18, 19), but with more setae (exact numbers variable among species) in Philopteroides; 4) vulval margin without or with only few central short setae (vss?) and few long, lateral setae (vms?) in Coronedax (Fig. 23), but with numerous setae of both types in Philopteroides.
Description.
Small lice of the head louse ecomorph (sensu Johnson et al. 2012). Frons shallowly emarginate, with median margin secondarily sclerotized (Fig. 20). Dorsal preantennal suture completely surrounds dorsal anterior plate but does not reach lateral margin of head at site of as 1; plate broad with internal carinae and with posterior elongation thickened. Marginal carina uninterrupted laterally. Trabecula present. Antennae sexually monomorphic. Transverse carinae present. Temporal setae os, mts 1 and mts 3 meso- or macrosetae, mts 3 typically longer than the others. Dorsal head sensilla s 1 – 3 and pts present, pns absent, s 4 present or absent. Pro- and pterothorax not divided medianly (Figs 18, 19); ppss on posterior margin of pronotum; mms as continuous row on posterior margin of pteronotum. Prosternum present; mesometasternum absent. Metepisterna not sclerotized laterally. Abdomen broad, tergopleurites II – VIII medianly divided, each with rows of macrosetae on posterior margin; anterior seta of tergopleurite II present. Sternal plates present on at least segments II – VI; accessory sternal plates present on segments III – VI in female, not present in male but lateral ends of central sternal plates may be modified. Each of sternal plates II – VI with one thorn-like and one normal seta on each side. Basal apodeme slender (Figs 21, 22); mesosome reduced to thickening of distal margin of mesosome; 1–2 lpmes on each side of gonopore (Fig. 22), typically small and may be overlooked. Gonopore simple, small. Parameres less densely sclerotized, seemingly fused proximally to basal apodeme; pst 1 sensillum, pst 2 long seta which may be as long as paramere. Female subgenital plate not reaching vulval margin (Fig. 23); vulval margin with 0–2 rows of shorter vss (absent in type species) and longer vms. Subvulval plates present.
Host associations.
All known species from hosts in the Monarchidae.
Geographical range.
Known from China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Senegal.
Etymology.
The genus name is derived from “ corona ”, Latin for “ crown ”, and “ edax ”, Latin for “ devour ”. This is in reference to the name of the hosts, the Monarchidae, and the fact that these lice live on the hosts’ head, essentially eating their crowns. Gender: masculine.
Included species.
See Table 3.
Remarks.
The male genitalia of Coronedax terpsiphoni (Najer & Sychra [in Najer et al.], 2012 b) were illustrated in three different views in the original description (ibid., figs 10–12), of which only one (Najer et al. 2012 b: fig. 12) is directly comparable to the specie described here. As mentioned by Najer et al. (2012 b), the distal male genitalia of this group are easily distorted, and we have here reproduced their fig. 10, to illustrate the variation possible within this genus, depending on preparation. We do not consider the genitalia illustrated by Najer et al. (2012 b) to be substantially different from those of Coronedax longiceps.
The female genitalia of C. terpsiphoni have a small number of short, central setae (here tentatively interpreted as vss), which are absent in C. longiceps. In an undescribed, but poorly preserved, species of Coronedax we have seen from Hypothymis azurea (Boddaert, 1783) there appears to be only one short vss on each side (visible only on one side). More species of Coronedax need to be examined before the variation in vulval chaetotaxy, and its taxonomic significance, can be explored in more detail.
description: Published as part of Ren, Mengjiao, Tian, Chunpo, Grossi, Alexandra A., Zou, Fasheng & Gustafsson, Daniel R., 2024, Cryptic genera, cryptic species: phylogeny of the genus Philopteroides Mey, 2004, sensu lato, with descriptions of two new genera and one new species, pp. 585-605 in Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 82 on pages 585-605, DOI: 10.3897/asp.82.e114351