The “Very Thankless Task”: Revision of Lunaceps Clay and Meinertzhagen, 1939 (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae), with descriptions of six new species and one new subspecies

Abstract

The louse genus Lunaceps Clay and Meinertzhagen, 1939, parasitic on shorebirds (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae) is re-vised. Six new species and one new subspecies of Lunaceps Clay and Meinertzhagen, 1939 parasitic on shorebirds (Char-adriiformes, Scolopacidae) are described. They are L. enigmaticus sp. nov. from Stilt Sandpiper Micropalama himantopus(Bonaparte, 1826), L. kukri sp. nov. from Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus Bechstein, 1812, L. mintoni sp. nov.from Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris (Horsfield, 1821), L. rothkoi sp. nov. from Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites sub-ruficollis (Vieillot, 1819), L. schismatus sp. nov. from Dunlin Calidris alpina (Linnaeus, 1758), L. superciliosus fromSharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata (Horsfield, 1821) and Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta (Middendorff,1853), and L. numenii madagascariensis ssp. nov. from Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis (Linnaeus,1766). Furthermore, the species L. cabanisi Timmermann, 1954, and L. pusillus are placed as new junior synonyms of L.incoenis (Kellogg and Chapman, 1899); the species L. haematopi Timmermann, 1954, L. oliveri Timmermann, 1954, andL. husainii Ansari, 1956, are placed as new junior synonyms of L. numenii numenii (Denny, 1842), L. numenii phaeopi(Denny, 1842), and L. falcinellus Timmermann, 1954, respectively, and the subspecies L. holophaeus timmermanniBechet, 1968, is regarded as a new junior synonym of L. falcinellus Timmermann, 1954. Lunaceps limosella limosaBechet, 1968, which was previously considered a junior synonym of L limosella Timmermann, 1954, is resurrected as avalid species. Lunaceps wilsoni Carriker, 1956, is considered a nomen dubium, and L. parabolicus Eichler (in Nietham-mer), 1953, is removed to the genus Quadraceps Clay and Meinertzhagen, 1939 as Quadraceps parabolicus comb. nov.,although its status in Quadraceps needs further attention. All species and subspecies of Lunaceps are illustrated and rede-scribed, and a key is provided for their identification. Three populations, from which only poor or limited data are available, are placed as incerta sedis.