FAMILY PULICIDAE STEPHENS 



1829 Pulicidae Stephens, Syst. Cat. British Insect, pt. II, p. 328. 

 1895 Pulicidae Baker, Can. Ent, 27:20. 



1904 Pulicidae Baker, Proc. United States Nat. Mus., 27:377. 



1905 Pulicidae Baker, Proc. United States Nat. Mus., 29: 127. 

 1909 Pulicidae Oudemans, Nov. Zool., 16: 157. 



1915 Pulicidae Rothschild, Ent. Mo. Mag., 51:89. 



1926 Pulicidae Dampf, Ent. Mitt., 15: 379. 



1929 Pulicidae Ewing, Manual External Parasites, p. 160. 



1936 Pulicidae Wagner, Tierwelt Mitteleuropas, Bd. 6, Abt. 17, s. 20. 



The members of the family Pulicidae are characterized par- 

 ticularly by the possession of a single row of bristles on each 

 abdominal tergite. These fleas are further distinguished by 

 having large and well-developed eyes. The frontal notch is 

 absent. The club of the antenna is segmented only on one 

 side. A series or patch of small spinelike bristles is present on 

 the inner side of the hind coxa. Four pairs of lateral plantar 

 bristles and a distal submedian pair are present on the fifth 

 tarsal segment of each leg. One long antepygidial bristle is 

 flanked on each side by a much smaller bristle present on a side. 



The Pulicidae are represented in the East by five genera which 

 include several species of tremendous medical importance. 



Key to the Eastern Genera of Pulicidae 



1. Genal ctenidium absent 2 



Genal ctenidium present 4 



2. Pronotal ctenidium absent 3 



Prontal ctenidium present Hoplopsyllus, p. 14 



3. Mesosternite divided by a distinct vertical rodlike sclerotization 



Xenopsylla, p. 16 



Mesosternite not so divided Pulex, p. 18 



4. Genal ctenidium more or less vertical with straight blunt spines 



Cediopsylla, p. 21 



Genal ctenidium more or less horizontal with curved spines tapering 

 to sharp points Ctenocephalides, p. 24 



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