Galliphilopterus Emerson & Elbel, 1957

Genus Galliphilopterus Emerson & Elbel, 1957 View in CoL

Galliphilopterus Emerson & Elbel, 1957a: 147 .

Type species

Galliphilopterus brunneopectus Emerson & Elbel, 1957a: 147 , by original designation.

Host distribution

Galliformes : Phasianidae . Both described species are known from hosts in the genus Arborophila Valenciennes, 1825 , but we have seen specimens of another undescribed species of Galliphilopterus from Bambusicola fytchii Anderson, 1871 , from Yunnan, China (Gustafsson, pers. obs.). Unfortunately, these specimens are too poorly preserved to be adequately described, and additional specimens are needed. The genera Bambusicola and Arborophila are not closely related (e.g., Kimball et al. 2021), but the birds in these genera share a similar habitat ( Madge & McGowan 2002). More extensive investigations of other galliform birds in Southeast Asia may reveal that the genus Galliphilopterus is more diverse and widely distributed than presently known.

Geographical range

Southeast Asia.

Remarks

Emerson & Elbel (1957a) described the only previously known species of Galliphilopterus , and noted that no similar genera were known from any other galliform hosts. Kettle (1981) noted that the relationships of Galliphilopterus are obscure, but Mey (2009) placed it in the Philopterus -complex, without comment. No further reports of Galliphilopterus have been published since 1957.

Emerson & Elbel (1957a) noted that elongated pas had previously been found only in Mulcticola Clay & Meinertzhagen, 1938a , and Valim & Kuabara (2015) stated that the elongated pas was unique to Mulcticola (excepting genera in the Goniodidae and Heptapsogastridae ). However, the distribution of elongated pas within Ischnocera is wider than appreciated by these authors, being found in, e.g., Lerwoecus meinertzhageni Clay, 1938 , Pelmatocerandra setosa Giebel, 1876 , and some species of Philopterus Nitzsch, 1818 (see Price & Hellenthal 1998). As most of these species are not closely related, it seems the elongation of pas has evolved convergently numerous times within Ischnocera , and does not alone indicate a close relationship between Mulcticola and Galliphilopterus .

Nevertheless, other characters indicate that these two genera may be closely related, although not all these characters were illustrated by Emerson & Elbel (1957a), and are here assumed to be present in the type species of Galliphilopterus based on the species from China we have seen. These characters include (for illustrations of Mulcticola spp. , see, e.g., Emerson & Elbel 1957b; Valim & Kuabara 2015; Kuabara et al. 2020): pterothorax medianly divided; os, mts1 and mts3 macrosetae or at least elongated compared to other temporal setae; postantennal head sensilla s1–5 all present; ppss located median to spiracle opening on posterior margin of pronotum. Above all, the structure of the male genitalia is similar: mesosome simple with arched thickening distally, and two minute sensilla on ventral side; parameres simple, with notably broadened anterior ends; gonopore terminal. In at least some species of Mulcticola we have examined, the median section of the vulval margin bulges narrowly, and this bulge is associated with a set of short setae ( vss?), similar to the submarginal bulge of the vulval margin seen in Galliphilopterus ( Fig. 7 View Figs 3–7 ).

Some of the morphological differences between Galliphilopterus and Mulcticola may be due to differences in microhabitat adaptations; lice in this genus appear to be of the head louse ecomorph ( Johnson et al. 2012), but this has never been established and requires confirmation. Ultimately, genetic data may be needed to evaluate the relationships between Galliphilopterus and Mulcticola .

Included species

Galliphilopterus brunneopectus Emerson & Elbel, 1957a: 147 .

Galliphilopterus latifrons sp. nov.