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Four new species of Brueelia Kéler, 1936 are described and illustrated. All of them parasitize African endemic host species in the families Passeridae, Ploceidae, and Estrildidae (Passeriformes). They are: Brueelia pofadderensis sp. nov. ex Passer melanurus damarensis Reichenow, 1902 and P. m. vicinus Clancey, 1958; B. semiscalaris sp. nov. ex Granatina granatina (Linnaeus, 1758); B. sima sp. nov. ex Malimbus nitens (Gray, 1831); B. terpsichore sp. nov. ex Euplectes jacksoni (Sharpe, 1891) and E. progne delamerei (Shelley, 1903). In addition, Brueelia bicurvata (Piaget, 1880) is redescribed and reillustrated from non-type material. A summary of all published records of lice in the Brueelia complex from Africa since 1980 is provided. We also estimate the unknown diversity of African species of Brueelia based on an index of host specificity calculated for each host family independently. The unknown diversity is estimated to be over 1000 species of Brueelia from African hosts, compared to the < 50 species in this genus currently recorded from Africa.
The geographical range of the typically host-specific species of chewing lice (Phthiraptera) is often assumed to be similar to that of their hosts. We tested this assumption by reviewing the published records of twelve species of chewing lice parasitizing wild and domestic chicken, one of few bird species that occurs globally. We found that of the twelve species reviewed, eight appear to occur throughout the range of the host. This includes all the species considered to be native to wild chicken, except Oxylipeurus dentatus (Sugimoto, 1934). This species has only been reported from the native range of wild chicken in Southeast Asia and from parts of Central America and the Caribbean, where the host is introduced. Potentially, this discontinuous distribution is due to a low tolerance for dry environments, possibly exacerbated by competitive exclusion by Cuclotogaster heterographus (Nitzsch, 1866). Our examinations of O. dentatus also revealed that this species differs significantly from other species of Oxylipeurus in the male and female genitalia, head structure and chaetotaxy, and other morphological characters. We therefore here erect the monotypic genus Gallancyra gen. nov. for O. dentatus, and redescribe the type species.
The chewing louse species Lipeurus megalops Piaget, 1880, is redescribed and illustrated. This species has previously been placed in the genus Oxylipeurus Mjöberg, 1910, but marked differences in preantennal structure, male and female genitalia, abdominal chaetotaxy, and structure of abdominal plates indicate that this species is not closely related to other species in this genus. We therefore erect a new genus, Calidolipeurus gen. nov. for this species. Calidolipeurus is presently monotypic, containing only Calidolipeurus megalops gen. et comb. nov. We also provide a preliminary key to the Oxylipeurus-complex.