Philopteroides sinancorellus Najer, Gustafsson & Sychra, new species
Creators: name: Najer, Tomas
name: Gustafsson, Daniel R.
name: Sychra, Oldrich
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Phthiraptera
Philopteridae
Philopteroides
Philopteroides sinancorellus

description: Philopteroides sinancorellus Najer, Gustafsson & Sychra, new species
(Figs 3, 5, 7 A–B. Tables 1–2, 5)
Type host. Oreocharis arfaki (Meyer, 1875) (Passeriformes: Paramythiidae)—tit berrypecker.
Type locality. Morobe District, Papua New Guinea.
Diagnosis. Philopteroides sinancorellus keys out to Ph. beckeri (Mey, 2004) in Valim & Palma’s (2013) key, but our new species differs from Ph. beckeri in the following characters: (1) marginal carina interrupted laterally in Ph. sinancorellus (Fig. 3 C), not in Ph. beckeri; (2) spine-like sternal setae absent in Ph. sinancorellus (Figs 3 A, E), present in Ph. beckeri; (3) male genitalia more elongated in Ph. sinancorellus (Fig. 3 D) than in Ph. beckeri. Furthermore, Philopteroides sinancorellus differs from Ph. gigas new species (see below), in the following characters: (1) fewer setae on thoracic and abdominal segments of Ph. sinancorellus (Tables 1, 2) than on those of Ph. gigas (Tables 3, 4); (2) parameres very small, visible as slight protuberances in Ph. sinancorellus (Fig. 3 D) but long and conical in Ph. gigas (Fig. 4 D); (3) dorsal anterior plate as in Fig. 3 B in Ph. sinancorellus, with oblique and slightly concave postero-lateral margins; (4) ventral head plate quadrangular with concave lateral margins in Ph. sinancorellus (Figs 3 A–C, E) but trapezoidal in Ph. gigas (Figs 4 A–C, E); (5) frons without any visible sclerotization in Ph. sinancorellus (Figs 3 A–C, E) but sclerotized in Ph. gigas (Figs 4 A–C, E); (6) smaller dimensions in Ph. sinancorellus than those of Ph. gigas (Table 5); (7) female sternites entire, without any visible lateral sternites in Ph. sinancorellus (Fig. 3 E), with lateral sternites in Ph. gigas (Fig. 4 E); (8) fewer and shorter sternal setae in Ph. sinancorellus (Figs 3 A, E; Tables 1, 2) than in Ph. gigas (Fig. 4 A, E; Tables 3, 4); (9) female subgenital plate of Ph. sinancorellus shaped as in Figs 3 E, F, with posterior and lateral margin connected in apparent right angle, long setae present on this angle always with gap between them on each side, but those of Ph. gigas shaped as in Figs 4 E, F, with oblique, slightly concave postero-lateral margin, without any apparent angle and with the setae close to each other.
Descriptions. Both sexes. Head as in Fig. 3 C, broadly triangular as long as wide, with both frons and occiput slightly concave, preantennal region with slightly concave lateral margin approximately as long as the postantennal margin. Marginal carina interrupted at feeding canal as well as in lateral part, which is divided into pre- and postmarginal carinae. Hyaline margin with slight indentation and without sclerotization. Dorsal anterior plate as in Fig. 3 B, with arcuate dorsal sclerotization in anterior part, concave anterior margin and slightly concave or straight ventral margin and anterior part of lateral margin (Figs 3 A–C, E). Ventral anterior plate as in Figs 3 A, C, E, quadrangular, with slightly concave anterior, concave lateral and slightly convex posterior margin. Postnodal setae and sensilla s3–s4 median and posterior. Prothorax as in Figs 3 A, E shorter than wide, with 1 short medial ppss on each side and convex lateral sides. Prosternum without setae. Mesosternum quadrangular, without setae, with straight anterior margin, and lateral concave posterior margin. Metasternum not visible, with 2 setae on each side. Pterothorax wider than long, lateral margins convex, posterior margin distally pointed, reaching behind the level of spiracles on segment II. Tergopleurites II–VIII, divided medianly, sternites II–VI entire and well developed, transverse and continuous in both sexes (Figs 3 A, E). Pleural incrassations relatively broad, with pleural head enlarged medianly, typically reaching to the level of the spiracle in the preceding segment.
Male. Habitus as in Fig. 3 A, head as in Fig. 3 C. One long and 3 short setae (mms) on each side of pterothorax, metapleurite with 1 long and 1 minute seta on each side. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 3 A and Table 1. Tergopleurites: II–IX+X divided medially; all with long most lateral seta; two pairs of long most medial setae on tergite III, and long most medial pair on tergite IV–V; other tergopleural setae short, not reaching the anterior margin of the following segment. Sternal setae short with lateral setae longer than median setae. Subgenital plate consisting of sternites VII–IX+X, fused only in a narrow central part, with deep lateral indentations on both sides of the plate. Posterior margin of subgenital plate not clear; one long seta behind the postero-lateral margin. Genitalia as in Fig. 3 D. Basal apodeme long and quadrangular, lateral margins concave. Parameres very small and only visible as slight protuberances, mesosome long and slender with thicker postero-median end, pointed and bent upwards. One sensillum on each side of posterior margin. Leg chaetotaxy as in Fig. 5 A, without dorsal setae on all coxae. Measurements as in Table 5.
Female. Habitus as in Fig. 3 E. Pterothorax with 3–4 medium-long setae (mms) on each side. Metapleurite with 1 short seta on each side. Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 3 E and Table 2; tergopleural setae long or medium-sized with the lateral pair longest. Sternal setae short with lateral setae relatively longer than median setae on each side. Subgenital plate (Fig. 3 F) formed by fused sternites VII–VIII, with scale-like pattern on its posterior half, 2 long lateral setae and no median setae (except for one specimen with 1 short setae). Vestigial sternite VIII, sub-vulval sclerites, vulval margin, and associated chaetotaxy as in Fig. 3 F. Without inner genital sclerites, but with one short and wide transverse sclerite present anterior of vulval opening with 8 microsetae and 6 short, slender scattered setae. Leg chaetotaxy as in Fig. 5 B. Measurements as in Table 1 (the genital chamber was not visible in any of the specimens examined, so its measurements were not taken for this species).
Etymology. The species epithet derives from Latin “ sine ” = “without”, and “ ancor ” = “anchor”, with the diminutive ending “- ellus ”. The name refers to the hardly noticeable parameres, which at first appear as missing, making the male genitalia look like a useless anchor.
Type material. Ex Oreocharis arfaki: Holotype ♂ (Fig. 7 A), Bulldog Road, 12 miles S of Edie Creek, elev. 2405 m, Morobe District, Papua New Guinea, 30 Jun. 1966, O.R. Wilkes, BBM-NG-5222b. Paratypes: 1♂, 1♀ (Fig. 7 B), same data as holotype; 1♀, Mount Kaindi, elev. 2300 m, Morobe District, Papua New Guinea, 17 Jun. 1967, A.C. Ziegler, BBM-NG-29174; 2♀, same location as previous sample, 6 Jul. 1967, A.C. Ziegler, BBM-NG- 53461.
Abbreviations. Sclerites: sgp = subgenital plate; svs = subvulvar sclerite; vs VIII = vestigial sternite VIII. Setae: ads = anterior dorsal seta; as = anterior seta; avs = anterior ventral seta; dsms = dorsal submarginal seta; mds = mandibular seta; mts = marginal temporal seta; os = ocular seta; pas = preantennal seta; pcs = preconal seta; pns = postnodal seta; pts = postemporal seta; vsms = ventral submarginal seta. Measurements: ADPL = anterior dorsal plate length; APLL = anterior dorsal plate lateral length; ADPW = anterior dorsal plate width; ANW = anterior notch width; GL = male genitalia length; GW = male genitalia width; HL = head length; PA L = preantennal length; PAW = preantennal width; PMCL = premarginal carina length; POL = postantennal length; TRL = trabecula length; TRW = trabecula width; TW = temporal width; SGPW = subgenital plate width.
Remarks. The male genitalia of the holotype and the paratype male differ in their appearance. The parameres of the holotype are not visible, but they are probably bent against the basal apodeme due to the slide-mounting process. However, in the paratype they can be seen as slight protuberances on the postero-lateral corners of the genitalia. A better assessment of the male genitalia will only be possible when more specimens become available.
description: Published as part of Najer, Tomas, Gustafsson, Daniel R. & Sychra, Oldrich, 2016, Two new species of Philopteroides (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) of the beckeri species-group, from New Guinean painted berrypeckers (Aves: Passeriformes: Paramythiidae), pp. 527-541 in Zootaxa 4139 (4) on pages 529-532, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4139.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/265597