Brueelia (Brueelia) kalaharicae, Gustafsson & Bush, 2025

Gustafsson, Daniel R. & Bush, Sarah E., 2025, New species group and four new species of Brueelia Kéler, 1936 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) from African buntings (Passeriformes: Emberizidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 1004, pp. 19-38 : 31-34

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.1004.2955
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16375328
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/BD6B87CD-2628-FFDC-FD80-FD8FFC0F692C
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Brueelia (Brueelia) kalaharicae
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Brueelia (Brueelia) kalaharicae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:240FC581-D117-4C6C-B749-46E40281C278

Figs 22–28 View Figs 22–23 View Figs 24–28

Differential diagnosis

Brueelia kalaharicae sp. nov. can be separated from all other species in the Br. anomala species group by the absence of antero-lateral extensions of the gonopore ( Fig. 26 View Figs 24–28 ). Females best separated by the combination of head shape ( Fig. 23 View Figs 22–23 ) and shape of the subgenital plate ( Fig. 28 View Figs 24–28 ).

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the subspecific name of the type host species, named after the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. This name is, in turn, derived from the Tswana words ‘kgala’ and ‘gadi’, meaning ‘to become thirty’ and ‘of large size’, respectively.

Type material

Holotype (ex Emberiza flaviventris kalaharica ) SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; Limpopo, Mopane ; 660 m a.s.l.; 16 Sep. 2011; G.A. Voelker leg.; NHMUK .

Paratypes (ex Emberiza flaviventris kalaharica )

SOUTH AFRICA • 7 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀; Limpopo, Mopane; 660 m a.s.l.; 16 Sep. 2011; G.A. Voelker leg.; PIPR .

Type host

Emberiza flaviventris kalaharica Roberts, 1932 – golden-breasted bunting.

Type locality

Mopane, Limpopo, South Africa.

Description

Both sexes

Head slenderly trapezoidal ( Fig 24 View Figs 24–28 ), shape differing between sexes. Frons convex. Marginal carina slender, deeply displaced and much widened at osculum. Ventral anterior plate rounded posteriorly, flattened or slightly concave anteriorly. Head chaetotaxy as in Fig. 24 View Figs 24–28 . Preantennal nodi wide, bulging. Pre-ocular nodi much larger than post-ocular nodi. Marginal temporal carina slender, slightly irregular. Gular plate lanceolate.Thoracic and abdominal segments as in Figs22–23 View Figs 22–23 . Base pigmentation translucent; marginal and marginal temporal carinae, margins of antennal sockets, flagellomeres II–III, anterior gular plate, proepimera, metepisterna, and anterior ends of tergopleurites pale to medium brown; sternal plates IV– VI in male and posterior half of sternal plate VI and subgenital plate in female pale brown. Male subgenital plate may by pale brown in anterior end.

Male

Lateral margins of preantennal area slightly convex ( Fig. 24 View Figs 24–28 ). Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 22 View Figs 22–23 ; tergopleurite VII with 1 tps on each side. Basal apodeme moderately wide, lateral margins concave ( Fig. 25 View Figs 24–28 ). Proximal mesosome pointed, lateral margins sinuous ( Fig. 26 View Figs 24–28 ). Mesosomal lobes broad, rugose area more or less limited to distal margin; 2 pmes on each side lateral to gonopore. Gonopore rounded anteriorly, without antero-lateral extensions. Penile arms short, not reaching distal margin of mesosome. Parameres stout ( Fig. 27 View Figs 24–28 ), tapering gently; pst1–2 as in Fig. 27.

MEASUREMENTS (n = 10). TL = 1.21–1.38 (1.29); HL = 0.32–0.35 (0.33); HW = 0.22–0.25 (0.23); PRW = 0.13–0.16 (0.14); PTW = 0.20–0.23 (0.22); AW = 0.29–0.34 (0.31).

Female

Lateral margins of preantennal area more or less straight, or only slightly convex ( Fig. 23 View Figs 22–23 ). Thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy as in Fig. 23 View Figs 22–23 . Lateral margins of subgenital plate straight or slightly concave ( Fig. 28 View Figs 24–28 ), with narrow connection to cross-piece. Vulval margin bulging but rounded ( Fig. 28 View Figs 24–28 ), with 3–4 short, slender vms and 3–4 short, thorn-like vss on each side; 3 short, slender vos on each side of subgenital plate; distal 1 vos median to vss.

MEASUREMENTS (n = 9, except TL n = 6, and PTW n = 8). TL = 1.48–1.64; HL = 0.34–0.39; HW = 0.25–0.27; PRW = 0.14–0.16; PTW = 0.23–0.28; AW = 0.34–0.37.