Sulciferodes new genus

Philopterus (Goniodes) Nitzsch, 1818: 293. In partim.

“Genus 1” Gustafsson et al., 2024c: 98.

Type species: Goniodes meinertzhageni Clay, 1940: 9.

Diagnosis. Sulciferodes (Figs 9–15) is close to Goniodes sensu stricto, based on the following shared characters: female genitalia with bifid structure (Figs 8, 15); mesosternum present (Figs 1, 3, 9, 10); structure of the male antenna (Figs 4, 11). However, the relationships between Sulciferodes, Tragoniodes gen. nov. and Rhopaloncus gen. nov. require further study, because some of these characters are also found in these genera.

Sulciferodes can be separated from Goniodes sensu stricto by the following characters: occipital process clearly present and somewhat pointed, bearing mts 4–5 in Goniodes (Fig. 4), but absent or at most a slight bulge in Sulciferodes (Figs 9–11); coni strongly curved in Goniodes (Figs 4–5), but not in Sulciferodes (Figs 11–12); metepisterna present and latitudinal plates in Sulciferodes (Figs 9–10), but absent in Goniodes (Figs 1, 3); male pteronotum fused to tergopleurite II medianly in Sulciferodes (Fig. 9), but not in Goniodes (Fig. 1); both sexes with multiple tcs on each side in Goniodes (Figs 1, 3), but with only one tcs on each side in Sulciferodes (Figs 9–10); male tergopleurite IX fused to central plate in Goniodes (Fig. 1), but plates separate in Sulciferodes (Fig. 9); lateral accessory sternal plates present in both sexes in Goniodes (Figs 1, 3), but absent in males of Sulciferodes (Fig. 9); mesosome and parameres fused to basal apodeme in Sulciferodes (Figs 13–14), but not fused in Goniodes (Figs 6–7); genitalia overall pseudo-solenoid in Sulciferodes (Figs 13–14), with mesosome simple and elongated and parameres seemingly flexible and attenuated distally, whereas in Goniodes, genitalia are larger and bulkier, with more complicated mesosome and distally expanded parameres (Figs 6–7); female subgenital plate absent in Goniodes (Fig. 8), but present in Sulciferodes (Fig. 15); vulval margin at most slightly concave in Goniodes (Fig. 8), but deeply concave in Sulciferodes (Fig. 15).

Description

Both sexes. Large chewing lice of the Goniodes body louse ecomorph (Figs 9–10). Head broader than long (Fig. 11), frons gently rounded to somewhat flattened. Marginal carina uninterrupted, terminating proximally in elongated preantennal nodi. Ventral carina uninterrupted; clypeo-labral suture absent. Coni prominent, not bent posteriorly. Antennae sexually dimorphic (Figs 11–12): in male, scape much swollen and elongated compared to that of female, with one distally squamous process on posterior margin; male pedicel similar to that of female in size, but noticeably curved; male flagellomere I much enlarged compared to that of female and to male flagellomeres II–III, extended distally into curved horn with squamous inner margin. Eyes large. Temples somewhat angular; posterior margin of head without pronounced occipital process, but bulging slightly at site of mts4–5, particularly in female. Head chaetotaxy: dsms, ads, pas, pns, pts, pos, avs2–3 all mesosetae; os sexually dimorphic, longer in male than in female; male postantennal head with row of sensilla from pns to pts on each side; head sensilla s1–2, s6 present.

Rhombic sclerite moderate, clearly separated from pronotum (Figs 9–10). Pronotum flaring posteriorly, with ppss on postero-lateral corner. Pteronotum roughly pentagonal, in male fused submedianly to median end of tergopleurite II. Postero-lateral corner of pteronotum rounded, with lpts only setae on lateral margin; ipts intermediate; smns submedial, sexually dimorphic with that of female being microseta and that of male being macroseta, in both sexes without associated sensillum; mpts situated in hyaline tegument posterior to pteronotum. Mesosternum present, metasternum absent in male, but small, poorly sclerotised plate seemingly present in female; mets and mss present. Proepimera large, curling around coxae II, but not fused medianly. Metepisterna broadly sclerotised, but not connected to more lateral plates.

Abdomen rounded in male, more elongate in female (Figs 9–10). Tergopleurites II–VIII medianly separated, with section medial to spiracular openings conspicuously narrowed in tergopleurite VIII. Male tergopleurite IX not fused to median plate, but these overlap, and median plate has distinct shape with postero-lateral hook. Female tergopleurites IX–XI fused together, and medianly continuous. Central sternal plates absent, but abdominal segments II–VI in female with lateral accessory sternal plates; no such plates visible in examined males. Abdominal chaetotaxy of both sexes: tergopleurites II–VIII with one tcs on each side, flanked laterally by row of tps microsetae; male tergopleurite II and VII with two psc on each side, tergopleurites III–VI with one psc on each side, and tergopleurite VIII with one psc macroseta and multiple shorter psc on each side in male, and multiple psc in female; ventral abdominal segments II–VI with median row of sts, on segments VII–VIII with only one sts on each side; female also with rows of microsetae following posterior margin of lateral accessory sternal plate on segments II–VI, with rows of segments V–VI extending medianly to be intercalated with longer sts. Male subgenital plate large, medianly continuous, expanded laterally. Female subgenital and subvulval plates present.

Male genitalia large, reaching anteriorly to around tergopleurite III in non-everted state. Male genitalia pseudo-solenoid (Figs 13–14). Basal apodeme partially fused to mesosome and parameres, seemingly consisting of approximately half the length of genitalia, and with distally bifurcated structure overlapping mesosome. Mesosome elongated, narrowed distally, on ventral surface with what may be lateral sensilla. Parameres elongated, slender, somewhat flexible distally, with pst1–2 on lateral margins widely separated.

Female genitalia with bifid structure (sensu Clay 1940) internally, but without triangular processes laterally (Fig. 15). Subgenital plates elongated, fused only at vulval margin, and with distinct longitudinal furrows in anterior half. Vulval margin deeply concave, with marginal mesosetae (presumably vms) forming rows laterally. A vague band of microsetae across the genital area may comprise the vss, whereas a median longitudinal row of setae likely represents the vos. Subvulval plates elongated, curved.