Complectodes new genus

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

“Genus 6”: Gustafsson et al. 2024c: 97.

Type species: Goniodes graecus Liu, 1994: 173.

Diagnosis. Complectodes belongs to the Oulocrepis -group, but it can be separated from the other genera by the following combination of characters (Table 2): male scape expanded compared to that of female, with a large, blunt process bearing one seta at its base; male flagellomere I extended into a slender, tapering distal process; mesosome and parameres present and separate from basal apodeme; parameres and other genitalic elements unique within Ischnocera; triangular process present lateral to female vulval margin; vulval margin with narrow lateral lobes bearing all the marginal setae.

Complectodes can be separated from Goniodes sensu stricto by the following characters: pronotum flaring posteriorly and pteronotum with postero-lateral corners flattened so that both lpts and ipts are lateral in Goniodes (Figs 1, 3), but pronotum not flaring and pteronotum not modified, placing ipts sublaterally in Complectodes (Figs 58–59); both sexes of Goniodes with more than three sts on each side of abdominal segments II–VI (Figs 1, 3), but with only one sts on each side in Complectodes (Figs 58–59); male tergopleurite IX fused to central plate in Goniodes (Fig. 1), but plates separate in Complectodes (Fig. 58); male subgenital plate smaller, not expanded laterally, in Complectodes (Fig. 58) compared to Goniodes (Fig. 1); mesosternum, mss, and mets all present in Goniodes (Figs 1, 3),but absent in Complectodes (Figs 58–59); male scape with distally squamous process bearing no setae in Goniodes (Fig. 4), but with process not squamous and bearing seta at base in Complectodes (Fig. 60); pas and pns mesosetae in Goniodes (Figs 3–4), but macrosetae in Complectodes (Figs 59–60); coni bent posteriorly in both sexes in Goniodes (Figs 4–5), but not bent in males (Fig. 60) and barely arched posteriorly in females of Complectodes (Fig. 61); both mts4–5 situated on occipital process in Goniodes (Fig. 4), but only mts5 on occipital process sin Complectodes (Fig. 60); pos dorsal in Goniodes (Figs 3–4), but ventral in Complectodes, with that of female situated on tubercle (Figs 59–60); parameres roughly parallel, expanded but blunt distally, and with narrowly pointed heads in Goniodes (Figs 6–7), but strongly curved, with distal ends bifid and heads bearing complicated hatchet-like structures and partially enveloped in lateral sclerites in Complectodes (Figs 62–63); mesosome large, distally bifurcate, and associated proximally with bifurcate thickening of basal apodeme in Goniodes (Figs 6–7), but small, pointed distally and bifurcate thickening of basal apodeme absent in Complectodes (Figs 62–63); bifid inner structure of female genitalia present but triangular processes absent in Goniodes (Fig. 8), but bifid structure absent and triangular processes present in Complectodes (Fig. 64); vulval margin more or less flat, without lateral lobes in Goniodes (Fig. 8), but strongly convex with distinct lateral lobes in Complectodes (Fig. 64).

Description

Both sexes. Large chewing lice of the Goniodes body louse ecomorph (Figs 58–59). Head about as broad as long, frons gently rounded (Fig. 60). Marginal carina narrow and uninterrupted, terminating proximally in elongated preantennal nodi. Ventral carina uninterrupted; clypeo-labral suture absent. Coni prominent in male, less so in female, in both sexes not bent posteriorly. Antennae sexually dimorphic: male scape much swollen and elongated compared to that of female, with a non-squamous process on posterior margin, bearing one seta at its base; male pedicel longer than that of female and slightly curved; male flagellomere I extended distally into slender, tapering process. Eyes large. Temples rounded in male, more angular in female; occipital process present, more prominent in male than in female. Head chaetotaxy: ads, pas, os, pns all meso- or macrosetae; pos ventral, in female situated on tubercle; mts1 and mts3 only temporal macrosetae; only mts5 situated on occipital process; dorsal head with few sensilla, and s1–2 visible as micro- or mesosetae; s6 present.

Rhombic sclerite small, clearly separated from pronotum. Pronotum rounded posteriorly, with ppss situated on postero-lateral corner. Pteronotum roughly pentagonal, but with median section of posterior margin flattened; postero-lateral corners rounded, so that only lpts situated lateral, and ipts sublateral; smns without visible associates sensillum; mpts situated on or just posterior to pteronotum. Meso- and metasterna and associated setae absent. Proepimera large, curling around coxae II, but not fused medianly. Metepisterna not sclerotised medially.

Abdomen rounded in male (Fig. 58), more elongate in female (Fig. 59); tergopleurite II not fused to pteronotum in either sex, and tergopleurites II–VIII medianly separated. Male tergopleurite IX not fused to central plate. Female tergopleurites IX–XI fused together, and medianly continuous, with postero-lateral end extended posteriorly to form small lobe with macroseta apically. Central sternal plates absent, but abdominal segments II–VI in both sexes with lateral accessory sternal plates. Male abdominal chaetotaxy: tergopleurites II–VII with one median tcs on each side; tergopleurites II–VIII with sparse rows of tps on each side, longer on II and VIII than on other segments; tergopleurites II–VIII with 2–3 psc on each side; ventral side of abdominal segments II–VIII with one sts on each side. Female abdominal chaetotaxy: tergopleurites II–VII with multiple tcs, gradually decreasing in number in more posterior segments; tergopleurites III–VI with at least one tps microseta lateral to tcs on each side; tergopleurites III–VIII with one tps mesosetae on each side, progressively shorter in more posterior segments; tergopleurites II–VI with two psc on each side, and tergopleurites VII–VIII with three psc on each side; ventral side of abdominal segments II–VIII with one sts on each side, on VI also with one microseta on each side. Male subgenital plate large, not expanded laterally or anteriorly; female subgenital plate absent, but slightly more sclerotised area present centrally anterior to vulval margin (Fig. 64). Subvulval and postvulval plates absent.

Male genitalia unique within known Ischnocera (Figs 62–63). Basal apodeme relatively short, distally seemingly reduced to slender thickening on each side that reaches to proximal base of mesosome. Mesosome small, pointed distally, with accessory lateral plates. Dorsally, accessory plates arise proximally as slender, curved bands, that bend almost 90˚ laterally at midpoint of mesosome, and expand distally into densely rugose plates that overlap the parameres. Ventrally, these plates lie roughly parallel to the mesosome, being irregular in shape and tapering gently to reach about as far distally as mesosome. Gonopore and mesosome setae not visible. Parameres with complicated, hatchet-shaped heads bearing a median posterior process. Parameral blades strongly curved medianly to overlap distally, distal ends bifid and asymmetrical, with area between distal tips palmate by hyaline region. Overlapping parameral heads large, asymmetrical structure on each side, which curves around parameral heads laterally, and extends medially on ventral side to reach to mesosome; on this extension one sensillum is visible basally.

Female genitalia without bifid structure, but with triangular processes laterally (Fig. 64). Vulval margin strongly convex, with lateral ends forming distinct lobes on which all marginal setae are situated. Vulval chaetotaxy: vms mesosetae clustered on lateral lobes, vss thorn-like setae in rows more centrally, and vos microsetae in roughly convergent rows.