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SOME PURTHEE. NOTES ON PULBJl CANIS CURTIS 

 AND FULEX FELIS EOUCHE. 



BY THE HON. N. C. ROTHSCHILD, M.A., F.L.S. 



IN the Entomologist's Kecord* we pointed out some distinctions between the 

 vHdes of P.felis and P. ranis. At tliat time, however, we were unabh' to give 

 any characteristics by which ihe. females of these two species could be distinguished. 

 Since the publication of the article in qnestion, Mr. Carl Baker,t Dr. William 

 Glen Liston, | and Dr. Carlo Tiraboschi § have maintained that the dilferences whicli 

 we mentioned between these two species were unreliable, the gentlemen in (inestion 

 insisting that F. canis and P. felis were indistinguishable, and were not, as we 

 stated, distinct species. We take this opportunity of reiterating our )>reviiins 

 statement, that /'. canis and P.felis are abundantly distinct. The mah-s of these 

 two insects can be readily distinguished from each other by differences exhibited in 

 their respective sexual organs, as detailed in our original paper. 



We now, however, take the present opportunity of stating that iha fo/mtlfs can 

 be distinguished at a glance by the different shape of their respective heads. The 

 female of P.felis has a much longer and more pointed head than i\iQ female of 

 P. canis. The " new " variety, which Dr. Carlo Tiraboschi has named var. marina, \\ 

 is, in fact, i]ie female of P.felis. The figures A. and B. illustrate the differences 

 between the heads of the females of these two species. In the males the difference 

 in the shape of the head is less strongly marked, but is quite perceptible. 



There are several minor differences in addition, which serve to distinguish these 

 two insects. The first genal spine, and tlie spine situated at the posterior angle of 



the genal process, are shorter in 



both sexes of P. canis than they 



are in P. felis. This distinction 



Dr. Carlo Tiraboschi has already 



pointed out in his description of 



var. miirina to which we referred 



above. Dr. Carlo Tiraboschi also 



states that the autennal club of 



his var. murina bears incisions on 



one side only. We venture to 



point out, however, that a similar 



characteristic can be found in the 



female of P. canis, the segments 



of the club being, on the ventral 



side, almost (•()mplet<'ly fused in \\ic females of both sj)ccics. Again, tlic alidomiiial 



stigmata are larger in P. ranis than they are in P. felis. The hindtibia of 



P. canis bears two bristles at the edge, situated between the fifth and apical dorsal 



KiG. k.— Filler 



* Vol. xiii. p. 121), plate (1901). 



t I'Tor. U. S. .Vat. Mus. x-ivii. p. :iS5 0"^). 



J In a private letter to the author. 



§ AnUr. Piirasit. viii. p. 254 (liWi). 

 II Loc. cit. p. iliO. fig. 17. 



