Myrsidea major Piaget

• Main Authors: Price, Roger D., Dalgleish, Robert C.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2007
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Arthropoda; Insecta; Phthiraptera; Menoponidae; Myrsidea; Myrsidea major; Plectrophenax nivalis; Snow Bunting
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6249829; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/C517714177748B24FF5293BEFB0BE6F5

Myrsidea major (Piaget) Menopon quadrifasc iatum var. major Piaget 1880: 441. Type host: " Fringilla (Emberiza) nivalis " = Plectrophenax nivalis (L.), Snow Bunting. Female (6). Gula with 5, less often 4, setae on each side. Close to M. serini (Fig. 39). Metanotum not enlarged, with 11–12 marginal setae; metasternal plate with 6 setae. Abdomen with tergites essentially unmodified. Tergal setae, with at most only weak median gap: I, 13–14; II, 14–17; III, 14–18; IV–V, 12–15; VI, 10–13; VII, 8–10; VIII, 8. Postspiracular setae long to very long on V–VI (0.18–0.33), extremely long on VII (0.38–0.45). Sternal setae: II, 4–5 in each aster, 12–14 marginal between asters, 9–10 anterior; III, 20–24; IV–V, 30–35; VI, 25–27; VII, 11–15; VIII–IX, 16–21. Dimensions: TW, 0.42–0.43; HL, 0.28–0.31; PW, 0.28–0.30; MW, 0.42–0.44; AWIV, 0.58–0.64; ANW, 0.21–0.23; TL, 1.60–1.66. Male . Unknown. Material examined . 6 females, ex P. n i v a l i s , (no location data) representing lectotype and paratypes, the entire type series of this species, bearing slide numbers 842 and 841 respectively. Remarks . Although the material for M. major is limited to the females of the type series, this species is clearly a member of the serini species group. They are morphologically closest to M. serini , differing principally in having longer postspiracular setae on tergites V–VII, somewhat greater total length, and fewer setae on tergite VII. While these differences are not profound, we have opted to continue to recognize this as a valid species pending additional collections from the type host and the study of male specimens. Published as part of Price, Roger D. & Dalgleish, Robert C., 2007, Myrsidea Waterston (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) from the Emberizidae (Passeriformes), with descriptions of 13 new species, pp. 1-18 in Zootaxa 1467 on pages 14-15, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.176595