Oulocrepis stylophorus new species (Figures 45–51) Type host: “ Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Tunstall, 1771, (Passeriformes: Corvidae)” (error for Bambusicola thoracicus (Temminck, 1815) —Chinese bamboo partridge. See Remarks below. Type locality: Jianou, Fujian Province, China. Diagnosis. Within Oulocrepis, O. stylophorus is morphologically unique, and not particularly close to any known species. Based on the presence of distinct lateral lobes of the vulval margin, dagger-like vss, and more prominent and ventrally more setose postero-lateral extensions of female abdominal segment IX+X (Figs 46, 51), O. stylophorus is likely most closely related to O. dissimilis (Denny, 1842). Males of these two species are not particularly similar, but the mesosome has a recurved dorsal thickening in both species (Fig. 49) and the parameres appear not to be fused to either the mesosome of the basal apodeme (Figs 49–50). Oulocrepis stylophorus can be separated from O. dissimilis by the following characters [see Gustafsson et al. (2024a: 475–476, figs. 590–596) for a recent redescription and illustrations of this species]: preantennal area of female head broadly rounded to somewhat flattened in O. dissimilis, but narrowed distally in O. stylophorus (Fig. 46); female with large, slightly less sclerotised area on preantennal head in O. stylophorus (Fig. 46), but no such area in O. dissimilis; male tergopleurites II–VII with one tcs on each side in O. stylophorus (Fig. 45), but with 2–4 tcs on each side in O. dissimilis; male pteronotum with 3–4 ipts on each side in O. stylophorus (Fig. 45), but with two ipts on each side in O. dissimilis; male tergopleurite IX elongated, much wider than long in O. stylophorus (Fig. 45), but roughly quadratic in O. dissimilis; male without lateral accessory sternal plates in O. dissimilis, but with such plates on segments II–VIII in O. stylophorus (Fig. 45); ventral surface of female abdominal segments II–VI with dense rows of microsetae in addition to sts mesosetae in O. dissimilis, but without microsetae in O. stylophorus (Fig. 46); male genitalia with triangular, distally tapering parameres in O. stylophorus (Figs 49–50), but with slender parameres in O. dissmilis; mesosome with roughly crescent-shaped anterior plate ventrally in O. stylophorus (Fig. 50), but without such plate in O. dissimilis; median section of vulval margin narrowly rounded in O. dissimilis, but forming unique trapezoidal “stylus” in O. stylophorus (Fig. 51); area lateral to vulval margin in O. dissimilis with multiple small setae-bearing tubercles in O. dissimilis, but without such tubercles and no dense patches of setae in area in O. stylophorus (Fig. 51). Descriptions Both sexes. Head broad and long, shape sexually dimorphic (Figs 45–47). Marginal carina broad, with deep attendant canals of preantennal setae. Head chaetotaxy as in Figs 46–47; dorsal head without dense rows of sensilla, only s1–4, s6–8 present (not all visible in examined males). Antennae sexually dimorphic. Thoracic and abdominal segments as in Figs 45–46. Male. Preantennal head gently rounded, coni large and prominent, extending laterally, temples gently rounded, with pos on lateral head margin. Dorsal head surface without less sclerotised preantennal area. Scape swollen and elongated compared to female, with distal margin bulging slightly in distal half; pedicel swollen and elongated compared to female; flagellomere I extended distally into broad, blunt horn. Pterothorax with 3–4 ipts on each side (Fig. 45); smns short.Abdominal chaetotaxy (Fig. 45): tergopleurites II–VII with one tcs on each side; tergopleurites II–VI with rows of tps microsetae, more numerous in more anterior segments; tergopleurites II and VIII with 4–5 psc on each side, tergopleurites III–VI with three psc on each side, tergopleurite VII with four psc on each side; ventral side of abdominal segments II–VIII with one sts on each side, on some segments with one microsetae on each side flanking sts, but microsetae are irregular; lateral sternal seta of segment VI not present in examined males. Basal apodeme long and slender, seemingly fused with mesosome dorsally (Fig. 49). Mesosome dorsally with slender, distally curved, thickenings. Mesosome ventrally elongated, narrowing slightly distally, with latero-distal corners with recurved hooks (Fig. 50); separate set of slender, distally curved thickenings present on ventral side. Roughly crescent-shaped structure present proximal to mesosome. Parameres short, tapering gradually distally, somewhat convergent distally, with only pst1 sensillum visible near distal ends. Genital sac present, small, weakly spiculate. Measurements as in Table 1. Female. Frons more arched than in male (Fig. 46), coni small, strongly recurved posteriorly to overlap slightly with scape (Fig. 48), temples flaring into acute angles, with pos positioned on ventral tubercle. Preantennal area with large, less sclerotised area. Antennae as in Fig. 48. Pterothorax with two ipts on each side, and smns longer. Tergopleurites IX+X extended distally into hooked lobe. Abdominal chaetotaxy (Fig. 46): tergopleurites II, VI–VII with two tcs on each side, tergopleurites III–V with three tcs on each side, tergopleurite VIII with one tcs on each side; tps microsetae absent; tergopleurite II without psc, tergopleurite III with two psc on each side, tergopleurites IV–VII with three psc on each side, tergopleurite VIII with two psc on each side, flanked medianly by row of short setae (tps); ventral surface of abdominal segments II–VIII with one sts on each side. Genital area unique within genus (Fig. 51), with vulval margin swollen into distinct lateral lobes and medianly modified to roughly trapezoidal stylus, the lateral corners of which are slightly fringed. Vulval chaetotaxy: 20–24 long, stout setae (vms?) on each side on lateral lobes of vulval margin, with 30–36 shorter, more slender setae (vss?) on each side at base of lateral lobes; 5–6 large, recurved setae (vss?) on each side along lateral margins of stylus, and 11–14 microsetae (vos) on each side on stylus and in subgenital area. Triangular processes slender, slightly recurved. Ventral side of lobes formed by abdominal segments IX+X with dense patches of mesosetae. Measurements as in Table 1. Etymology: The species epithet is formed from “ stylus ”, Latin for writing implements—referring to the hardened distal appendage of the abdomen or subgenital plate in various Phthiraptera—and “ -phóros ” (-φόρος), ancient Greek for “bearing”. Material examined Types: Ex “ Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax ” (error for Bambusicola thoracicus): Holotype ♂, Jianou, Fujian Province, China, 7 Jan. 1997, collector unknown, box E0026139, slide 8 (NHMC). Ex “ Psilopogon virens ” (error for Bambusicola thoracicus): Paratype: 1♂, same data as holotype, box E0026195, slide 37 (NMHC). Ex Bambusicola thoracicus: Paratypes: 1♀, Guilin, Guangxi Province, China, 29 Jul 1975, collector unknown, box E0026136, slide 88 (NHMC). 4♂, 2♀, no collection data, box E0026195, slide 37 (NMHC). Non-types: Ex Bambusicola thoracicus: One nymph, Guilin, Guangxi Province, China, 29 Jul 1975, collector unknown, box E0026136, slide 88 (NHMC). One nymph, Jianou, Fujian Province, China, 7 Jan. 1997, collector unknown, box E0026195, slide 37 (NHMC). Two nymphs, no collection data, box E0026195, slide 37 (NMHC) [Nymphs identified by host association]. Remarks: We reluctantly designated as the holotype and one paratype of Oulocrepis stylophorus, two specimens labelled with incorrect, not natural hosts. The reason behind this unusual designation is that the available specimens with host labels written as Bambusicola thoracica held at the NHMC are all in extremely poor condition. Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Tunstall, 1771, (Passeriformes: Corvidae) does not occur at the type locality (Liu & Chen 2024) and there is no goniodid known from corvid hosts. Equally, there is no goniodid known from Psilopogon virens (Boddaert, 1783) (Piciformes: Megalaimidae), the host of the paratype. Notably, the labels of the slides bearing the holotype and the paratype (ex Psilopogon virens) are both marked in pencil with the word “ thoracicus ”, suggesting that whoever made the slides suspected an error, but did not correct it. Six other slides with specimens from Bambusicola fytchii Anderson, 1871 mostly include a species similar to O. stylophorus, further indicating that the natural host of this species is a member of Bambusicola Gould, 1863. However, these specimens are also poorly preserved, with the glass coverslip of one slide broken, making adequate comparisons impossible. Some specimens on these slides are more similar to Gonotyles lophurus, but so poorly preserved that they cannot be identified. The series of slides containing the holotype of O. stylophorus includes specimens of Philopterus Nitzsch, 1818, Menacanthus Neumann, 1912, Myrsidea Waterston, 1915, Sturnidoecus Eichler, 1944, Priceiella Gustafsson & Bush, 2017, Picophilopterus Ansari, 1947, and a poorly preserved unidentified non-parasitic psocopteran. All of these specimens are unidentified to species level, and many are poorly preserved.Another slide from the same series contains a male and a female of Kelerigoniodes processus (Kellogg & Paine, 1914), but on its label two hosts are given: P. pyrrhocorax and Arborophila gingica (Gmelin, 1789), the latter a known host of K. processus (Price et al. 2003). In summary, it seems clear to us that the given hosts on the type slides are the result of a mix-up during the slidemounting process and not the bird species from which they were collected. Considering the available evidence, we conclude that Bambusicola thoracica is the natural, regular host of O. stylophorus. However, this association could only be confirmed when new collections from B. thoracica are examined.

Published as part of Gustafsson, Daniel R., Li, Zhu, Tian, Chunpo, Ren, Mengjiao, Sun, Xiuling & Zou, Fasheng, 2025, Revision of genera in Goniodidae (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) parasitising gamefowl (Aves: Galliformes) with descriptions of six new genera, one new subgenus and seven new species, pp. 1-99 in Zootaxa 5731 (1) on pages 50-55, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5731.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/18019316