Aratricerca Gustafsson & Bush 2017
Creators: name: Gustafsson, Daniel R.
name: Zou, Fasheng
name: Bush, Sarah E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Psocodea
Philopteridae
Aratricerca

description: Key to the species of the genera Aratricerca, Timalinirmus, and Turdinirmoides
Note: We have not seen specimens of Turdinirmoides carpodaci and Turdinirmoides vasjukovae. These species were not completely described, and were illustrated with habitus photos, drawings of male genitalia and of frons. The male genitalia of T. vasjukovae are most similar to those of T. rozsai, whereas the male genitalia of T. carpodaci are not similar to those of any of the other species. We have placed Turdinirmoides carpodaci and T. vasjukovae in the key based on the characters given by Mey (2017), but redescriptions of both species are needed.
1. Lateral margins of pterothorax roughly parallel (Fig. 1); at least sternal plate II with antero-lateral thickening (Fig. 1); male abdominal segment XI extended into triangular tail (Fig. 1)...................................................2.
- Lateral margins of pterothorax divergent posteriorly (Fig. 20); no antero-lateral thickening of any sternal plate (Fig. 20); male abdominal segment XI not extended into triangular tail (Fig. 20)............................................... 5.
2. Ventral anterior plate present (Fig. 3); parameres without marginal modifications (Fig. 5); proximal mesosome slender (Fig. 6); tail of male abdominal segment XI thinly sclerotised distally (Fig. 1)............................................3.
- Ventral anterior plate absent (Fig. 10); parameres with marginal modifications (Figs 12, 18); proximal mesosome broad (Figs 13, 19); tail of male abdominal segment XI with wide distal sclerotised plate (Fig. 15)..............................4.
3. Male abdominal segment VI with 1 ps on each side (Fig. 1); proximal mesosome tapering slightly anteriorly (Fig. 6); distal margin of mesosome slight, smooth (Fig. 6); female sternite III without anterior thickening (Fig. 2)....... Aratricerca macki
- Male abdominal segment VI with 2 ps on each side; proximal mesosome widening anteriorly; distal margin of mesosome bulging, fringed; female sternite III with anterior thickening........................................ Aratricerca cirithra
4. Frons convex (Fig. 10); lateral margins of preantennal area convex (Fig. 10); male tergopleurite VI with 1 ps on each side (Fig. 8); male proximal mesosome quadratic (Fig. 13); paramere with median, thumb-like modification (Fig. 12).................................................................................................... Aratricerca cerata
- Frons concave (Fig. 16); lateral margins of preantennal area straight (Fig. 16); male tergopleurite VI with 2 ps on each side (Fig. 15); male proximal mesosome rounded, widening anteriorly (Fig. 19); paramere with lateral, thumb-like modification (Fig. 18)......................................................................... Aratricerca madagascariensis
5. Dorsal preantennal suture medianly continuous posterior to dorsal anterior plate...................................6.
- Dorsal preantennal suture medianly discontinuous posterior to dorsal anterior plate (Fig. 22)..........................7.
6. Female subgenital plate roughly triangular; proximal mesosome narrow...................... Turdinirmoides carpodaci
- Female subgenital plate roughly pentagonal; proximal mesosome broad..................... Turdinirmoides vasjukovae
7. Ventral anterior plate present (Fig. 22); male subgenital plate divided (Fig. 20); sts present on male abdominal segment VII (Fig. 20)................................................................................................ 8.
- Ventral anterior plate absent (Fig. 36); male subgenital plate not divided (Fig. 34); sts absent on male abdominal segment VII (Fig. 34)...........................................................................................10.
8. Female subgenital plate triangular; tps present on male tergopleurites V–VIII; males with 1 ps on each side of abdominal segment VI; pst1 close to pst2 ......................................................... Turdinirmoides grandalae
- Female subgenital plate pentagonal (Fig. 26); tps absent on all male tergopleurites (Fig. 20); male with 2 ps on each side of abdominal segment VI (Fig. 20); pst1 not close to pst2 (Fig. 24)............................................... 9.
9. Female without ps on abdominal segment III (Fig. 28); proximal mesosome with irregular margins (Fig. 32); mesosomal lobes rounded with anterior hooks, distal fringe, and 2 lpmes microsetae on each side (Fig. 32); female subgenital plate overlapping with detached cross-piece (Fig. 33); detached cross-piece follows vulval margin for entire length (Fig. 33).................................................................................................. Turdinirmoides rozsai
- Female with 1 ps on each side of abdominal segment III (Fig. 21); proximal mesosome with smooth margins (Fig. 25); mesosomal lobes bluntly triangular, without hooks, fringes, or lpmes (Fig. 25); female subgenital plate not reaching detached crosspiece (Fig. 26); detached cross-piece reaches vulval margin only medianly and laterally (Fig. 26)..... Turdinirmoides janigai
10. Male subgenital plate does not reach distal end of abdomen; female tergopleurite XI much reduced; proximal mesosome with pointed anterior margin................................................................ Timalinirmus hrabali
- Male subgenital plate reaches distal end of abdomen (Fig. 34); female tergopleurite XI large (Fig. 35); proximal mesosome with flat anterior margin (Fig. 39)............................................................. Timalinirmus curvus
description: Published as part of Gustafsson, Daniel R., Zou, Fasheng & Bush, Sarah E., 2022, Descriptions of six new species of slender-bodied chewing lice of the Resartor-group (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Brueelia-complex), pp. 506-530 in Zootaxa 5104 (4) on pages 525-526, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5104.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/6332142