Zootaxa 4878 (1): 103–128 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4878.1.4 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:67B9660E-6FC1-414A-A50E-68767C302C46 Four new species of Myrsidea (Phthiraptera: Amblycera: Menoponidae) from Chinese babblers (Passeriformes: Leiothrichidae, Paradoxornithidae, Timaliidae) LUJIA LEI1,2,6, XINGZHI CHU1,3, BILAL DIK7, FASHENG ZOU1,4, HAITAO WANG6 & DANIEL R. GUSTAFSSON1,5* 1Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Con- servation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Zoology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. 2 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3310-1476 3 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6659-6279 4 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8913-5651 5 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8868-8310 6Jilin Engineering Laboratory for Avian Ecology and Conservation Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130024, Jilin, China. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2531-149X 7Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selçuk University, Selçuklu, Konya, Turkey. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7553-5611 *Corresponding author. �[email protected] Abstract Four new species of amblyceran chewing lice of the genus Myrsidea Waterston, 1915 are described from hosts of the babbler families Leiothrichidae, Paradoxornithidae and Timaliidae in China. They are: Myrsidea attenuata n. sp. from Garrulax maesi maesi (Oustalet, 1890), Myrsidea zhangae n. sp. from Ianthocincla berthemyi (Oustalet, 1876), Myrsidea liopari n. sp. from Lioparus chrysotis amoenus (Mayr, 1941) and L. chrysotis swinhoii (Verreaux, 1871), and Myrsidea suthorae n. sp. from Suthora verreauxi verreauxi Sharpe, 1883. A checklist of host-louse associations for identified and unidentified Myrsidea species known from babblers is provided. Key words: Phthiraptera, Amblycera, Menoponidae, Myrsidea, new species, Leiothrichidae, Paradoxornithidae, Timaliidae, babblers, China Introduction The genus Myrsidea Waterston, 1915, is the most speciose genus of chewing lice, with over 350 described species (Price et al. 2003; Valim & Weckstein 2013). Myrsidea is a cosmopolitan genus, occurring primarily on perching birds (Passeriformes). Most species are known from a single host species, and species associated with multiple host species typically occur on closely related hosts (Price et al. 2003; but see Sychra et al. 2014). The term “babblers” includes a diverse assemblage of bird species, covering members of several closely related families (Leiothrichidae, Paradoxornithidae, Pellorneidae, Timaliidae), most of which are found in tropical and sub- tropical Asia, including China (e.g. Arlott 2017). Collectively, these families comprise about 300 species (Clements et al. 2018). However, only 28 species of Myrsidea are presently known from hosts of these four families (Price et al. 2003, 2006; Khan et al. 2009; Najer et al. 2012). The known species of Myrsidea are distributed across most of the babbler diversity, but none had been described from parrotbills and allies (Paradoxornithidae). We here describe the first two species of Myrsidea from parrotbills and allies, as well as two new species from other Chinese bab- blers. Accepted by R.L. Palma: 28 Sept. 2020; published: 12 Nov. 2020 103 Material, methods and conventions Most specimens were collected following the method described by Gustafsson et al. (2019); however, collections of lice have been carried out by several people over nearly a decade and, therefore, the methods used varied. Lice have been slide-mounted following the technique in Gustafsson et al. (2019). All specimens are deposited in the collec- tion of the Guangdong Institute for Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (GIABR). Morphological characters and measurements follow the methodology outlined by Valim & Weckstein (2013). Abdominal setal counts of species of Myrsidea are not consistent in the literature, with some authors (e.g. Price et al. 2006; Najer et al. 2012) including the setae of the post-spiracular complex among the tergal setae, while other authors (e.g. Tandan 1972) excluding them. We here follow Clay (1966) and Valim & Weckstein (2013) by count- ing all marginal setae except the post-spiracular setae on tergum I, but only counting the variable setae between the setae of the post-spiracular complex on subsequent segments. We also follow Clay (1966) and Valim & Weckstein (2013) when counting sternal setae, excluding the two antero-lateral setae on each side of sternum II. In most spe- cies treated here, the setae of the lateral sternal brushes are indistinguishable from those on the posterior margin. Therefore, we follow Clay (1966) including all sternal setae on the posterior margin in the total for posterior mar- ginal setae, with all anterior setae (median + brush setae) included within parentheses after the number of posterior marginal setae. All measurements are given in millimeters, as ranges (mean value, when n ≥ 10). Abbreviations used are: ANW = female anus width; AW = abdominal width (taken at segment IV); dhs = dorsal head seta (sensu Clay 1969); GL = male genitalia length; GSL = male genital sclerite length; HL = head length (taken at midline); ls5 = labial seta 5 (sensu Clay 1966); MSPL = metasternal plate length (taken at midline); MSW = mesothorax width; MTW = meta- thorax width; POW = preocular width; PRW = prothorax width; PSPL = prosternal plate length (taken at midline); TL = total length (at midline); TW = head width (taken at temples). Host taxonomy follows Clements et al. (2018). Systematics Phthiraptera Haeckel, 1896: 703. Amblycera Kellogg, 1896: 68. Menoponidae Mjöberg, 1910: 26. Myrsidea Waterston, 1915: 51 Acolpocephalum Ewing, 1927: 88. Australmenopon Conci, 1942: 30. Allomyrsidea Conci, 1942: 31. Corvomenopon Conci, 1942: 31. Ramphasticola Carriker, 1949: 305. Alcediniphilus Ansari, 1951: 189. Myrsidella Eichler, 1951: 49. Densidea Złotorzycka, 1964: 171. Vulgidea Złotorzycka, 1964: 172. Liquidea Złotorzycka, 1964: 173. Lanimenopon Złotorzycka, 1964: 177. Eichlerinopon Złotorzycka, 1964: 179. Neomyrsidella Złotorzycka, 1964: 182. Wolfdietrichia Złotorzycka, 1973: 51. Type species: Myrsidea victrix Waterston, 1915: 13, by original designation. Type host: Ramphastos ambiguous swainsonii Gould, 1833. 104 · Zootaxa 4878 (1) © 2020 Magnolia Press LEI ET AL. Myrsidea attenuata Lei, Chu, Dik, Zou, Wang & Gustafsson, new species (Figs 1–4, 8) Myrsidea sp. 6; Chu et al. 2019: 338. Type host: Garrulax maesi maesi (Oustalet, 1890) – grey laughingthrush (Leiothrichidae). Type locality: Nanling Reservation, Ruyang County, Guangdong Province, China. Diagnosis. Myrsidea attenuata is identified as M. assamensis Tandan, 1972, in the keys to males in Tandan (1972). The same type of genital sclerite, with a single median attenuation, is also found in Myrsidea agarwali Khan et al. 2009. These species can be separated by the thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy (Table 1), particularly the number of setae on the metanotum and on terga I–II (and in male also tergum III). In addition, Myrsidea attenuata can be separated from M. assamensis by number of setae in the femoral brush of femur III: 19–23 setae in female and 16–21 setae in male in M. attenuata (Figs 1–2), but 24–27 setae in female and 22–25 setae in male in M. assamensis. Males of Myrsidea attenuata can be separated from those of M. agarwali by having distinct gaps between the two median-most seta on each side of terga III–V that are distinctly larger than the gaps between the more lateral tergal setae on the same segments (Fig. 1); in M. agarwali, the tergal setae on these segments are evenly spaced. Also, the genital sclerite of M. agarwali appears to lack the distal attenuated section of the median part, which is present in M. attenuata (Fig. 5). Description. Female (n=3). Habitus as in Fig. 2. Setal measurements: dhs10 = 0.044–0.050; dhs11 = 0.120– 0.137; ratio dhs10/11 = 0.35–0.41; ls5 = 0.044–0.071 Ventrolateral fringe with 10–12 setae. Gula with 4–5 setae on each side. Hypopharynx similar to Fig. 4. First tibia with 2–3 outer lateral ventral and 4–5 dorsal setae. Metanotum with posterior margin straight and 2 setae on each side. Metasternal plate with 4–5 setae on each side. Femoral brush with 19–23 setae. Metanotum and abdomen as in Fig. 2. Posterior margin of tergites straight. Se- tal rows continuous on segments II–III, with small median gap on segments IV–VIII. Anterior setae absent on terga. Tergal setae: I, 2–4; II, 8–11; III, 12–13; IV, 12–13; V, 10–15; VI, 11; VII, 9–10; VIII, 4–5. Tergum IX with 4–5 medium-sized inner posterior setae on each side. Anterior setae present on sterna II–VI. Sternal setae: I, 0; II, each aster of 3–4 setae, posterior margin with 8–10 setae and anteriorly with 9–10 setae on one side; III, 12–14 (2–3); IV, 16–22 (11–16); V, 20–22 (20–24); VI, 20–21 (18–26); VII, 8–12 (6–10); VIII–IX, 10–15; vulval margin with 12 setae. Anus with 32–38 setae in ventral fringe and 32–38 setae in dorsal fringe; dorsal fringe with small number of short setae (about 1/2 length of other setae) interspersed centrally; all central setae of ventral fringe at most 1/3 of length of lateral setae. Pleural setae: I, 7–10 (0–1); II, 8–11 (1–3); III, 8–10 (4–6); IV, 8–9 (3–5); V, 6–8 (3–5); VI, 3–7 (1–3); VII, 5–6 (1–2), VIII: 3–5 (0–1). Measurements as in Table 2. Male (n=4). Much as in female, habitus as in Fig. 1, head shape as in Fig.3. Setal measurements: dhs10 = 0.038–0.056; dhs11 = 0.109–0.127; ratio dhs10/11 = 0.33–0.51; ls5 = 0.040–0.075. Gular plate with 4 setae on each side (1 male with 5 on one side). Hypopharynx as in Fig. 4. Metanotum with 4–6 setae on posterior margin.