Volume 124, Number 2, September 2014 77

A NEW SPECIES OF FELICOLA (PHTHIRAPTERA: ISCHNOCERA: TRICHODECTIDAE) FROM THE FOREST GIANT POUCHED (CRICETOMYS EMINI) IN CAMEROON, AFRICA AND A REDESCRIPTION OF FELICOLA HOPKINSI BEDFORD, 19361 Dennis J. Richardson2 and Jerry L. Cook3

Of the 56 described species in the genus Felicola, 55 are parasites of carni- vores and 1 has been described from a primate (Perez and Palma, 2001). To date, no representative of this genus has been reported from a . Such high host specificity is not uncommon among chewing lice, especially the trichodectids. As pointed out by Hopkins (1949), “each species of Trichodectidae occurs nor- mally as a rule, on only one species of host, but occasionally on several hosts which, though very closely related, are not conspecific.” In the present study, 1 of 15 Forest Giant Pouched (Cricetomys emini Wrough ton 1910) from Bawa, West Province, Cameroon (approx. 5º20'N, 9º 54'E), purchased as food items by the first author during May 2007, was infest- ed with 10 chewing lice, 6 females (5 adults and 1 juvenile) and 4 males (2 adults and 2 juveniles). This region constitutes a montane tropical forest lying along a volcanic ridge in western Cameroon. Tchuinkam et al. (2010) described the ge- og raphy and climate of the region. Exceedingly little information is available on the ectoparasitic fauna of C. emini. Cook and Richardson (2010) reported on epi- faunistic associated with these individual rats. No other ectoparasites were observed on the rat infested with chewing lice. Lice were collected with watchmaker’s forceps and fixed in 70% ethanol. Soft tissues were dissolved with a 20% aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide. Speci mens were stained with acid fuchsin, cleared in clove oil, and mounted in Canada balsam as described by Palma (1978). Preliminary study revealed the lice to represent a previously undescribed species in the genus Felicola. Comparison to descriptions of all previously described species of Felicola (Price, 2003) re - vealed the new species to be most morphologically similar to Felicola hopkinsi Bedford, 1936. The original description of F. hopkinsi was based on 2 individu- als, a male and female collected from an African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata arborea) in Kampala, Uganda in 1933. Although Bedford (1936) did not refer- ence deposition of type specimens in his original description of F. hopkinsi, spec- imens designated in writing on the original slide labels as the male holotype and ______1 Received on November 3, 2013. Accepted on March 17, 2014. 2 Department of Biological Sciences, EC-BIO, 275 Mt. Carmel Avenue, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut 06518-1908. Corresponding author E-mail: dennis.richardson@quinnipiac. edu 3 Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies and Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas 77341-2448. E-mail: [email protected]

ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 124 (2): 77 September 2014 Mailed on September 25, 2014 78 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS female allotype of F. hopkinsi were located in the collection of the Natural History Museum of London. Subsequently, a critical comparison of the new material to the type series of F. hopkinsi was conducted. A redescription of F. hopkinsi is given, providing new, more detailed information and the new species is described. All measurements are given in mm and terminology for plane shapes follows Clopton (2004). The holotype and allotype of the new species were deposited in the Natural History Museum of London (BNMH ENT). Para types were deposited in the Natural History Museum of London, Sam Houston State University, Entomology Collection at Sam Houston State University, Hunts ville, Texas (SHSU) and the Peabody Museum of Natural His- tory, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (YPM ENT).

Felicola hopkinsi Bedford 1936 Type host: Nandinia binotata arborea–African Palm Civet Type locality: Kampala, Uganda, Africa Holotype male: As in Figure 1. Total length, 1.15. Head very broadly ovoid, 0.32 long by 0.38 wide at widest point. Cephalic index (head length/head width) 0.80. Osculum absent but pulvinus attains margin. Dorsal preantennal sulcus absent. Medial broadening of clypeal marginal carina. Anterolateral margin of head slightly sinuate. Scape slightly expanded. Flagellomeres fused. No flagellar basal teeth on antennae. Short setae on head, sparsely distributed, most numer- ous on anterior portion of head and margins. Sitophore sclerite obtrulate. Thorax shallowly ovoid, 0.17 long by 0.29 wide. Prothorax with pronounced spiracles, the diameter of each exceeding 1/2 the length of the prothorax. Lateral trullate projections of mesothorax bearing 2 coarse setae at apex. Abdomen 0.71 long by 0.49 wide. Corporal index (total length/abdominal width) 2.3. Abdominal spira- cles absent. Abdominal setae very short as shown in Figure 1. Terga I-VIII broad- ly obovoid. Tergum IX projected posteriorly, very deeply obtrullate. Genitalia length 0.368. Genitalia width 0.069 at widest point. Width of parameral arch 0.060. Parameres fused at base, tapering anteriorly, 0.127 long. Endomeres rela- tively straight and slender, 0.264 long. Allotype female: As in Figure 2. Total length, 1.37. Head very broadly ovoid, 0.36 long by 0.44 wide at widest point. Cephalic index 0.82. Osculum absent but pulvinus attains margin. Dorsal preantennal sulcus absent. Medial broadening of clypeal marginal carina. Anterolateral margin of head slightly sinuate. Scape slightly expanded. Flagellomeres fused. No flagellar basal teeth on antennae. Short setae on head, sparsely distributed, most numerous on anterior portion of head and margins. Sitophore sclerite obtrulate. Thorax shallowly ovoid, 0.24 long by 0.38 wide. Prothorax with pronounced spiracles, the diameter of each exceeding ½ the length of the prothorax. Lateral trullate projections of mesotho- rax bearing 2 coarse setae at apex. Abdomen obovoid, 0.86 long by 0.63 wide. Corporal index 2.17. Abdominal spiracles absent. Abdominal setae very short as shown in Figure 2. Curvature of gonopophyses conforming to shape of distal Volume 124, Number 2, September 2014 79

Fig. 1. Holotype male of Felicola hopkinsi Bedford 1936. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. 80 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS

Fig. 2. Allotype female of Felicola hopkinsi Bedford 1936. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. Volume 124, Number 2, September 2014 81 abdomen, very narrowly semifalciform, 0.129-0.148 long. Irregular rounded lobe at base of gonopophyses bearing 4 setae. Subgenital lobe present, apically deeply bifurcate, lateral margins weakly sigmoidal. Each posterior apex of sub- genital lobe bearing 4 coarse setae. Remarks: Felicola hopkinsi, described based on 2 specimens, has not been reported since its original description in 1936 underscoring the need for faunis- tic survey of lice in central sub-Saharan Africa. We detected a few setae that were not originally figured by Bedford (1936) (compare Fig. 1 to Fig. 24 of Bedford (1936)).

Felicola rodentestris Richardson and Cook, sp. nov. Type host: Cricetomys emini Wroughton 1910—Forest Giant Type locality: Bawa, West Province, Cameroon, Africa (approx. 5°20'N, 9°54'E) Female (n=5): As in Figure 3. Total length, 1.25-1.35. Head very broadly ovoid, 0.32-0.35 long by 0.39-0.43 wide at widest point. Cephalic index (head length/head width) 0.81-0.87. Osculum absent but pulvinus attains margin. Dorsal preantennal sulcus absent. Medial broadening of clypeal marginal carina. Antero lateral margin of head slightly sinuate. Scape slightly expanded. Flagel - lomeres fused. No flagellar basal teeth on antennae. Short setae on head, sparse- ly distributed, most numerous on anterior portion of head and margins. Sito phore sclerite obtrulate. Thorax shallowly to very broadly ovoid, 0.17-0.22 long by 0.37-0.39 wide. Prothorax with pronounced spiracles, the diameter of each exceeding 1/2 the length of the prothorax. Lateral trullate projections of meso - thorax bearing 2 coarse setae at apex. Abdomen obovoid, 0.84-0.88 long by 0.59 to 0.64 wide. Corporal index (total length/abdominal width), 1.95-2.25. Abdominal spiracles absent. Abdominal setae very short as shown in Figure 3. Curvature of gono po physes conforming to shape of distal abdomen, deeply to narrowly semicrescentic, 0.146-0.155 long. Irregular rounded lobe at base of gonopophyses bearing 3 or 4 setae. Subgenital lobe present, apically deeply bifurcate, lateral margins sigmoidal. Each posterior apex of subgenital lobe bear- ing 4 coarse setae. Male (n=2): As in Figures 4 and 5. Total length, 1.10-1.18. Head very broad- ly ovoid, 0.32-0.33 long by 0.37 wide at widest point. Cephalic index 0.86-0.89. Osculum absent but pulvinus attains margin. Dorsal preantennal sulcus absent. Medial broadening of clypeal marginal carina. Anterolateral margin of head slightly sinuate. Scape slightly expanded. Flagellomeres fused. No flagellar basal teeth on antennae. Short setae on head, sparsely distributed, most numerous on anterior portion of head and margins. Sitophore sclerite obtrulate. Thorax shal- lowly ovoid, 0.17-0.18 long by 0.31-0.32 wide. Prothorax with pronounced spir- acles, the diameter of each exceeding 1/2 the length of the prothorax. Lateral trul- late projections of mesothorax bearing 2 coarse setae at apex. Abdomen 0.67- 82 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS

Fig. 3. Holotype female of Felicola rodentestris n. sp. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. Volume 124, Number 2, September 2014 83

Fig. 4. Allotype male of Felicola rodentestris n. sp. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. 84 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS

Fig. 5. Genitalia of allotype male of Felicola rodentestris n. sp. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

0.70 long by 0.47 to 0.50 wide. Corporal index 2.2-2.5. Abdominal spiracles absent. Abdominal setae very short as shown in Figure 4. Terga I-VIII broadly obo void. Tergum IX projected posteriorly, very deeply obtrullate. Genitalia length 0.326, width 0.061. Width of parameral arch 0.048. Parameres fused at base, tapering anteriorly 0.120, long. Endomeres relatively straight and slender, 0.244 long. Male genitalia shown in Figure 5. Etymology: The specific epithet rodentestris refers to the unique host associ- ation exhibited by this species. Specimens deposited: Holotype female, allotype male, and 1 female para - type (BMNH ENT 2014-38). Additional paratypes (YPM ENT 830591 and YMP ENT 830592; SHSUE024653 and SHSUEO24654). Three immature topotype specimens not utilized in the description are retained in the collection of DJR. Remarks: The most distinctive feature of F. rodentestris is its host associa- tion, occurring on a rodent. This is only the second report of lice of the genus Felicola on a host other than a carnivore. Stobbe (1913) described Felicola mjöbergi from a Slow Loris, Nycticebus coucang (Boddaert, 1785) from Ma lay - sia. Morphologically, F. rodentestris is most similar to F. hopkinsi, both of which conform to the subgenus Felicola as prescribed by Lyall (1985); however, in addition to its unique host association, it differs from F. hopkinsi in the shape of the gonopophyses and subgenital lobes. The gonopophyses of F. rodentestris are more strongly recurved than those of F. hopkinsi. Likewise, margins of the sub- Volume 124, Number 2, September 2014 85 genital lobes of F. rodentestris are more strongly sigmoidal than those of F. hop- kinsi. Felicola rodentestris and F. hopkinsi also exhibit minor differences in chaetotaxy (Figs. 2 and 4).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mr. Paul Brown, Department of Entomology, Natural History Museum of London kindly found and provided access to the type specimens of F. hopkinsi.

LITERATURE CITED Bedford, G. A. H. 1936. Notes on species of Trichodectidae with descriptions of new genera and species. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Science and Industry 7: 33-58. Clopton, R. E. 2004. Standard nomenclature and metrics of plane shapes for use in gregarine tax- onomy. Comparative Parasitology 71: 130-140. Cook, J. L. and D. J. Richardson. 2010. Epifaunistic earwigs (Dermaptera: Hemimerina) associ- ated with Emin’s pouched rat (Cricetomys emini) in Cameroon, Africa. Entomological News 121: 397-399. Hopkins, G. H. E. 1949. The host-association of the lice of . Proceedings of the Zoo- logical Society of London 119: 387-604. Lyall, C. H. C. 1985. A cladistics analysis and classification of trichodectid lice (Phthi- raptera: Ischnocera). Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History 51: 187-346. Palma, R. L. 1978. Slide-mounting of lice: a detailed description of the Canada balsam technique. The New Zealand Entomologist 6: 432-436. Perez, J. and R. L. Palma. 2001. A new species of Felicola (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae) from the endangered Iberian lynx: another reason to ensure its survival. Biodiversity and Conservation 10: 929-937. Price, R. D., R. A. Hellenthal, R. L. Palma, K. P. Johnson, and D. H. Clayton. 2003. The chew- ing lice: world checklist and biological overview. Illinois Natural History Survey Special Pub li- ca tion 24. x + 501 pp. Stobbe, von R. 1913. Mallphagen. 3. Beitrag: Die Trichodectidendes Berliner Museums für Natur- kunde. Sitz. Gesell. Naturforsch. Freunde zu Berlin 8: 365-383. Tchuinkam, T., F. Simard, E. Lélé-Defo, B. Téné-Fossog, A. Tateng-Ngouateu, C. Antonio- Nkond jio, M. M. Mpoame, J. Toto, T. Njin, D. Fontenille, and H. Awono-Ambéné. 2010. Bio nomics of anopheline species and malaria transmission dynamics along an altitudinal transect in western Cameroon. BMC Infectious Diseases 10: 119. 12 p.