Lagopoecus Waterston, 1922

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Li, Zhu, Tian, Chunpo, Ren, Mengjiao, Sun, Xiuling & Zou, Fasheng, 2025, Three new species of ischnoceran lice (Psocodea: Phthiraptera) from birds in China, with a key to the Lagopoecus-group of genera, European Journal of Taxonomy 1004, pp. 58-80 : 66-69

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.1004.2961

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16368853

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/6B4B87D0-FFDB-227C-FDD7-FD7CD349FED6

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Lagopoecus Waterston, 1922
status

 

Genus Lagopoecus Waterston, 1922 View in CoL

Philopterus Nitzsch, 1818: 288 (in partim).

Nirmus Nitzsch, 1818: 291 (in partim).

Lipeurus Nitzsch, 1818: 292 (in partim).

Goniocotes Burmeister, 1838: 431 (in partim).

Degeeriella Neumann, 1906: 60 (in partim).

Lagopoecus Waterston, 1922: 159 .

Type species

Lagopoecus lyrurus Clay, 1938: 188 ,

nomen novum for Nirmus cameratus Burmeister, 1838: 430 , nec Nirmus cameratus Lyonet [in de Haan], 1829: 267 [= Cuclotogaster cameratus (Lyonet [in de Haan], 1829)].

Host distribution

Galliformes .

Geographical range

Mainly Holarctic, but one species is known from Africa.

Included species

Lagopoecus affinis ( Children, 1836: 537) [in Nirmus ]

Lagopoecus californicus ( Kellogg & Chapman, 1899: 103) [in Lipeurus ]

Lagopoecus choui Liu, 1989: 266

Lagopoecus colchicus Emerson, 1949: 78

Lagopoecus crossoptiloni Liu, 1989: 263

Lagopoecus gambellii Emerson, 1949: 75

Lagopoecus gibsoni Hopkins, 1947: 172

Lagopoecus heterytypus ( Mégnin, 1880: 87) [in Nirmus ]

Lagopoecus irinae Eichler & Vasjukova, 1981: 233

Lagopoecus kozuii ( Sugimoto, 1934: 456) [in Philopterus ]

Lagopoecus liui sp. nov.

Lagopoecus lophophori Liu, 1989: 261

Lagopoecus lyrurus Clay, 1938: 188

Lagopoecus obscurus Emerson, 1948: 137

Lagopoecus ovatus ( Uchida, 1917: 137) [in Nirmus ]

Lagopoecus pallidovittatus ( Grube, 1851: 474)

Lagopoecus perplexus ( Kellogg & Chapman, 1899: 103)

Lagopoecus sinensis ( Sugimoto, 1930: 130) [in Degeeriella ]

Lagopoecus tetrastei Bechet, 1963: 259

Lagopoecus tragopani Liu, 1989: 264

Lagopoecus umbellus Emerson, 1950: 101

Lagopoecus waterstoni ( Bedford, 1930: 165) [in Lipeurus ]

Species groups of Lagopoecus Waterston, 1922

The last extensive revision of Lagopoecus was published by Clay (1938), although Emerson (1950) briefly revised and partially illustrated the North American species. Arnold (2008) provided comments on a few species. Carriker (1946) separated the genus Colinicola Carriker, 1946 , from New World hosts; this genus was synonymized with Lagopoecus by Hopkins & Clay (1952), but accepted as valid by Price et al. (2003) and Mey (2006). Mey (2006) reassigned Lagopoecus meinertzhageni Clay, 1938 , to the genus Lerwoecus Mey, 2006 .

Arnold (2008) informally divided the genus into the ‘pheasant, grouse, quail, and partridge groups’; however, apart from the ‘pheasant group’ no morphological characters purporting to separate these groups, nor any list of which species belong to which group, was published by Arnold (2008). This group terminology has not, to our knowledge, been used elsewhere. Moreover, most species of Lagopoecus are poorly illustrated and described, making groupings difficult.

Based on published accounts and the few species we have examined, we consider only three groups recognizable until a comprehensive revision of the genus has been performed. These groups are:

Lagopoecus affinis species group [= Lagopoecus s. str.] – abdomen relatively slender; head clearly narrower than long; dorsal preantennal suture present; no sclerite present anterior to male genital opening; lateral accessory sternal plates absent in female; sclerotised plates without reticulation pattern or with reticulation very faint; parameres triangular without appendages. This group includes almost all species of Lagopoecus , including that illustrated here ( Figs 8–13 View Figs 8–9 View Figs 10–13 ), except those explicitly listed under the two other species groups. Note that the structure of the male genitalia of some of the members of the L. affinis species group suggest that this group may be further divided, perhaps along the lines suggested by Arnold (2008). For instance, the endomere and the penile sclerite are both much elongated in species such as Lagopoecus sinensis ( Sugimoto, 1930) , but much shorter in L. lyrurus . The lateral thickenings of the endomere are also more elaborate in L. sinensis and some other species than in the type species of Lagopoecus (see Gustafsson et al. 2024a). In species such as Lagopoecus crossoptiloni Liu, 1989 , the parameres are very slender and positioned entirely distal to the endomere ( Gustafsson et al. 2024a). Whether these characters are useful taxonomically is still too early to say, until more species have been described and redescribed.

Lagopoecus heterotypus species group – abdomen broad; head about as long as wide; dorsal anterior suture absent; sclerite present anterior to male genital opening; female with lateral accessory sternal plates on segments VI–VII; most sclerotised plates with clear, dense reticulation patterns; parameres triangular without appendages. This group presently includes only Lagopoecus heterotypus ( Mégnin, 1880) and Lagopoecus lophophori Liu, 1989 .

Lagopoecus californicus species group – abdomen and head relatively slender; dorsal preantennal suture present; no sclerite present anterior to male genital opening; lateral accessory sternal plates absent in female; sclerotised plates without reticulation pattern or with reticulation very faint; parameres bulkily ovoid with distal appendage. This group presently includes only Lagopoecus californicus ( Kellogg & Chapman, 1899) and Lagopoecus gambelii Emerson, 1949 .

These species of the L. californicus species group were placed in Colinicola by Mey (2006), who suggested that their inclusion in Lagopoecus is likely based only on the lack of sexual dimorphism in the antennae, as other characters (thoracic and abdominal chaetotaxy, male genitalia) suggest that these species belong to Colinicola . While we agree that these species likely do not belong to Lagopoecus , we also consider the structure of the male genitalia between the two groups too dissimilar to support an inclusion of the L. californicus group in Colinicola . Moreover, Colinicola lacks a dorsal preantennal suture, which is present in the L. californicus group, a character that is normally constant throughout a genus (although exceptions are known, e.g., Gustafsson & Bush 2017). The picture is complicated further by Colinicola philortyx Carriker, 1967 , which has sexually dimorphic antennae but genitalia that appear to be similar to those of the L. californicus species group.

A revision of the Lagopoecus - Colinicola group is sorely needed to establish the boundaries between these genera. The genera Lerwoecus and Syrrhaptoecus Waterston, 1928 , are also likely related to this group, and the distribution of many morphological characters is mosaiced when all these genera are considered together. For instance, in both Lerwoecus and Colinicola the antennae are sexually dimorphic and lateral accessory sternal plates are present, but the male genitalia of Lerwoecus are more similar to those of Syrrhaptoecus , which has sexually dimorphic antennae but only central sternal plates. Lateral accessory sternal plates are also present in at least females of the L. heterotypus species group. Moreover, head sensillum s6 is present in Lerwoecus and at least some Syrrhaptoecus , but absent in all Lagopoecus we have seen and never illustrated for any Colinicola . In females of Lerwoecus , Lagopoecus , and Syrrhaptoecus the vss may be supplemented medianly by small sensilla, which may be situated on a median bulge (marginal or submarginal) of the vulval margin, but to our knowledge this has never been illustrated for any Colinicola .

Potentially, as many as seven genera are involved, but the group needs thorough revision before any conclusions as to the generic limits can be drawn. We here include a preliminary key to these genera and groups, to aid in their identification based on the placement of species in Price et al. (2003), except Lerwoecus is recognised, but note that a revision of this group will likely require a new, more detailed key.

Identification key to Lagopoecus Waterston, 1922 and similar genera

Note that it is not clear whether the species included in this key are closely related, but they share some morphological characters that suggest a relationship. In particular, the male genitalia differ from that of other members of the Degeeriella -complex in that the penile sclerite appears to be fused to the endomere, forming a mesosome.

1. Dorsal preantennal suture present ..................................................................................................... 2

– Dorsal preantennal suture absent ...................................................................................................... 4

2. Lateral accessory sternal plates present; postero-lateral corner of pronotum with 3 ppss on each side ................................................................................................................... Lerwoecus Mey, 2006

– Lateral accessory sternal plates absent; poster-lateral corner of pronotum with 1 ppss on each side ........................................................................................................................................................... 3

3. Abdominal segments II–VI each with ≥ 2 sts on each side. Lagopoecus californicus species group

– Abdominal segments II–VI each with 1 sts on each side ............. Lagopoecus affinis species group

4. Abdominal segments II–VI each with ≥ 2 sts on each side .............................................................. 5

– Abdominal segments II–VI each with 1 sts on each side ..... Lagopoecus heterotypus species group

5. Central sternal plates present ............................................................ Syrrhaptoecus Waterston, 1928

– Central sternal plates absent (but lateral accessory sternal plates may be present) ............................ .................................................................................................................... Colinicola Carriker, 1946

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Psocodea

SubOrder

Troctomorpha

InfraOrder

Phthiraptera

ParvOrder

Ischnocera

Family

Philopteridae

Loc

Lagopoecus Waterston, 1922

Gustafsson, Daniel R., Li, Zhu, Tian, Chunpo, Ren, Mengjiao, Sun, Xiuling & Zou, Fasheng 2025
2025
Loc

Lagopoecus

Waterston 1922: 159
1922
Loc

Degeeriella

Neumann 1906: 60
1906
Loc

Goniocotes

Burmeister 1838: 431
1838
Loc

Philopterus

Nitzsch 1818: 288
1818
Loc

Nirmus

Nitzsch 1818: 291
1818
Loc

Lipeurus

Nitzsch 1818: 292
1818
GBIF Dataset (for parent article) Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF