Goniocotes caoi Gustafsson, Tian, Ren, Li, Sun & Zou, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gustafsson, Daniel R.
name: Tian, Chunpo
name: Ren, Mengjiao
name: Li, Zhu
name: Sun, Xiuling
name: Zou, Fasheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Psocodea
Philopteridae
Goniocotes
Goniocotes caoi

description: Goniocotes caoi sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8FAA858F-FDEA-4BA9-A925-987158128D42
Figs 1–5
Diagnosis
Goniocotes caoi sp. nov. is most similar to Goniocotes chrysocephalus, with which it shares the following morphological characters: preantennal head with inner curved line separating median less sclerotized region and lateral and anterior more sclerotized region (Figs 1–3); proepimera fused medianly (Figs 1–2); smns absent (Figs 1–2); psps present on male tergopleurites II–IV (Fig. 1); tps absent on male tergopleurites III–VII (Fig. 1); male tergopleurites IV–VII with narrowed inner part that reaches at least halfway between edge of abdomen and midline on each side (Fig. 1).
Goniocotes caoi sp. nov. can be separated from G. chrysocephalus by the following combination of characters: occipital bulge at site of mts5 less pronounced in G. caoi (Fig. 3) than in G. chrysocephalus; tps absent on male tergopleurite II in G. caoi (Fig. 1), but present in G. chrysocephalus; ss absent on male tergopleurites VI–VII in G. caoi (Fig. 1), but present in G. chrysocephalus; ps absent on male abdominal segment III in G. caoi (Fig. 1), but present in G. chrysocephalus; female vulval margin with small patch of vms microsetae near lateral corners in G. chrysocephalus, but without such patch in G. caoi (Fig. 5).
Etymology
Goniocotes caoi sp. nov. is named after the classical Chinese author Cao Xueqin, who wrote Hongluo Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber), considered one of the Four Great Classics of Chinese literature. This is in reference to this new species being Chinese, and living amongst the mainly red body feathers of its host.
Type material
Holotype (ex Chrysolophus pictus) CHINA • ♂; location unknown; 23 Jan. 1989; collector unknown; box E0026203, slide 57; BMNH [male vertical, marked with black dot on slide].
Paratypes (ex Chrysolophus pictus) CHINA • 2 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀; location unknown; 23 Jan. 1989; collector unknown; box E0026203, slides 55–59; BMNH • 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀; Shaanxi Province, Qinling Mountains; 15 Nov. 199; collector unknown; box E0026198, slide 39; BMNH.
Type host
Chrysolophus pictus (Linnaeus, 1758) – golden pheasant.
Type locality
China; more detailed locality unknown.
Description
Frons rounded, in some specimens appearing slightly pointed (Fig. 3). Marginal carina broad, with clear attendant canals of preantennal setae. Internal line separating median, less densely sclerotized area from lateral and anterior more densely sclerotized area; in at least some females this line is also visible in the post-antennal head (Fig. 2). Preantennal nodi elongated, rounded in male, more square-shaped in female. Male os microsetae, may be slightly thorn-like. Lateral temporal margins rounded, divergent posteriorly. Occipital bulge present, not very prominent; mts situated apically. Occipital nodi prominent.
Thoracic and abdominal segments and chaetotaxy as in Figs 1–2. Rhombic sclerite not fused to pronotum. Pronotum with rounded to slightly extended postero-lateral corners. Proepimera fused medianly. Postero-lateral corner of pteronotum not extended laterally; posterior margin gently rounded; smns absent. Male tergopleurites much reduced on more posterior segments; tergopleurite VIII with no visible median extension; lateral tergopleurite IX+X small, slender, not reaching median sclerite. Lateral accessory sternal plates absent. Male abdominal chaetotaxy: ss present on tergopleurites II–V; tps and aps absent; psps present on tergopleurites II–VII; ps present on abdominal segments IV–VIII. Female abdominal chaetotaxy: ss present on tergopleurites II–VIII; tps and aps absent; psps present on tergopleurites V–VI; ps present on abdominal segments III–VIII.
Male genitalia as in Fig. 4; solenoid, with no clear distal margin; pst visible as sensilla and parameres widening at site of pst.
Female genitalia as in Fig. 5; subgenital plate absent, but section of ventral surface nearest vulval margin marginally more densely sclerotized than other parts (symbolized by a curved line in Fig. 5). Vulval margin somewhat flattened medianly, with 8–10 short, slender vms and 3–5 longer, thorn-like vss on each side; 2–4 short, slender vos on each side, the distalmost of which is near vss. Subvulval plates present, roughly oval.
Measurements as in Table 1.
description: Published as part of Gustafsson, Daniel R., Tian, Chunpo, Ren, Mengjiao, Li, Zhu, Sun, Xiuling & Zou, Fasheng, 2024, Separation of Goniocotes Burmeister, 1838, and Dictyocotes Kéler, 1940 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera), with descriptions of four new species, pp. 1-36 in European Journal of Taxonomy 968 on pages 10-14, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.968.2703, http://zenodo.org/record/14009186