THE CANADIAN ENTOxMOLOGIST. 63 



PRELIMINARY STUDIES IN SIPHONAPTERA.— H. 



BY CARL F. BAKER, FORT COLLINS, COLO. 



Family Pulicidce, Tschb. 



1880. Taschenberg, Die Flohe, p. 62. 



Table of Genera.* 



A. Eyes well developed ; antennae with circular incisions or cleft only on 

 one side ; head and thorax usually stout and compact ; head rarely 

 angulated in front ; lower edge of head and pronotum behind some- 

 times with combs, abdominal segments and discs of cheeks 

 without . , Fuiex. 



AA. Eyes wanting, or very rudimentary ; antennae with circular incisions. 



B. Eyes entirely wanting ; head and thorax stout and compact ; head 



angulated in front, truncate ] discs of cheeks, pronotum, and 



several abdominal segments with combs of numerous spines, the 



whole body heavily bristled Hystrichopsylla'. 



* The genus Slepha>ioci7-cus^ Skuse (Records of Austral. Mus., II., 5, Sydney, Sept.. 

 1890), with its single species, Dasyuri, Skuse, parasitic on Dasyurus niaculatus, Kerr., I 

 do not include in this table. As characterized, it possesses a most extraordinary structure. 

 Should further study verify all points of the description, this genus will form a very 

 interesting addition to the family. It, however, seems probable that two species have 

 been confused, and that both are referable to known genera. The description (for a 

 copy of which I am indebted to Mr. Wm. J. Fox) is as follows -.^^ Slephanocirciis, gen. 

 nov. Body elongate, especially in the female, bristly, noticeably stronger at the anal 

 extremity. Antennte capitate, four-jointed, the second joint in the female with long 

 bristles extending to the tip of the fourth ; in the male very short ; fourth joint lamellar, 

 apparently composed of nine segments. Head moderately large ; in the female with an 

 exserted, cap-like patella in the front, strongly pectinated round its posterior margin, 

 the face also strongly pectmated ; in the male the posterior margin of the head only 

 pectinated ; eyes wanting in the female ; trophi less than the length of the head ; man- 

 dibles extremely slender, minutely serrated, encased in four-jointed labial palpi, which 

 they somewhat exceed in length ; lingua extremely slender ; maxilla? elongate, triangular, 

 somewhat exceeding the second joint of the labial palpi, with no apparent apical joint; 

 maxillary palpi four-jointed, the first and fourth of about equal length, the third shorter 

 and the second the longest, acuminate ; joints of the labial palpi progressively diminish- 

 ing in length and thickness. Prothorax in female with a strong pectinate fringe. Legs 

 long, spinous ; coxa? of posterior two ]3airs with a distinct notch posteriorly at the apex ; 

 femora very minutely and sparingly spined ; tarsi five jointed, the first, second and fifth 

 joints long, the third shorter, the fourth shortest, half the length of the fifth ; claws 

 microscopically denticulate. 



'''' Stephanocircusdasyuri, sp. nov. Length of male, 1.90 mm.; of female, 2. 80mm. 

 Castaneous brown, nitidous. Head of the male convex above, of female flat. Eyes of 

 male small, black. Pectinal fringes and setoe black or dark brown Thorax long, in 

 the female nearly the length of the body. Abdomen about twice as long as broad in the 

 male, shorter in the female, darker castaneous brown in the female, bristly Legs of a 

 uniform pale castaneous brown. Habitat — New South Wales, on Dasyurus maculatus. 

 Kerr." ' 



