( I-'> ) 



ON NORTH AMERICAN CEBATOFHYLLUS, A GENUS OF 



SIPIIONAPTERA. 



By the Hon. N. C. ROTIISCinLD, M.A., F.L.S. 



(Plates VI. VJI. VIII. IX.) 



OUR larii'e material of Ccratophi/llufi from Nortb America, especially British 

 Columbia and Alberta, has been left practically untouched, since we knew 

 that Mr. Carl Baker was working at a revision of the Nearctic Siphonaptera. 

 After the receipt of Mr. Baker's pajjer on this subject we have compared the species 

 in our possession, and give now the descriptions of those which we think are 

 undescribed. The ideutitication of the species is not alwa)'s easy, the insects being 

 sometimes very closely related to each other, but we hope not to have made very 

 glaring mistakes in the identification of Mr. Carl Baker's species, as that author has 

 been kind enough to give ns some cotypes, which have been of very great help. 



The genus Ci'mtoplii/llas, as it now stands, will ultimately have to be divided 

 up into several genera ; but we think with Mr. Baker that a generic classification of 

 the Sijihonaptera sliould not be attempted without comparison of a large number 

 of species from all faunistic regions. For the purpose of identification the Nearcti(; 

 Ceratopki/llus can conveniently be separated into three groups : 



I. Hindcoxa without comb of short teeth ou inner side ; second hindtarsal 

 segment with a long apical bristle which reaches beyond ape.\ of fourth segment. 

 Here belong species Nos. 1 — 5. 



II. Hindcoxa without comb ; longest apical bristle of second hindtarsal 

 segment hardly reaching apex of third segment, seldom extending a little beyond 

 this segment. Here belong species Nos. 6 — 15. 



III. Hindeoxa with comb. Here belong species Nos. 10 ami 17. 



1. Ceratophyllus telchinum spec. nov. (PL VIII. fig. 21). 



Head. — The eye-bristles stand in a straight row, the middle one being half- 

 way between the others. The row in front of tlie eye-bristles consists of three 

 shorter ones, there being an additional bristle higher up at the antennal groove. 

 There are numerous short hairs from the eye upwards. The frontal tubercle is 

 distinct. On the hinder part of the head there are about six short hairs along the 

 antennal groove, and above them one bristle behind the base of the antennal groove 

 and a longer one in the middle, the latter bristle being accompanied by a shorter 

 one standing obliquely above it. The distance from the long ventral bristle of the 

 subapical pair to the second bristle is larger than from the second to the third. 

 The rostrum reaches a little beyond the trochanter, the last segment being twice the 

 length of the preceding one. 



Thorax. — The pronotal comb consists of sixteen to eighteen spines. Tlie 

 mesouotum has a row of small hairs laterally at the base, these hairs being more 

 numerous on the back, where they form several short irregular rows. There are 

 two rows of bristles on the meso- and metanotum, and between these rows, as well 



