FAMILY HYSTRICHOPSYLLIDAE TIRABOSCHI 



1904 Hystrichopsyllinae Tiraboschi, Archiv. de Parasit., 8: 242. 



1905 Hystrichopsyllidae Baker, Proc. United States Nat. Mus., 29:124. 

 1905 Ctenopsyllidae Baker, Proc. United States Nat. Mus., 29: 124. 

 1909 Hystrichopsyllidae Oudemans, Nov. Zool., 16:155. 



1915 Leptopsyllidae Rothschild, Ent. Mo. Mag., 51:80. 



1915 Hystrichopsyllidae Rothschild, Ent. Mo. Mag., 51:83. 



1926 Leptopsyllidae Dampf, Ent. Mitt., 15: 384. 



1926 Hystrichopsyllidae Dampf, Ent. Mitt., 15: 385. 



1929 Hystrichopsyllidae Ewing, Manual External Parasites, p. 172. 



1936 Ctenopsyllidae Wagner, Tierwelt Mitteleuropas, Bd. 6, Abt. 17, s. 14. 



The Hystrichopsyllidae and the Ischnopsyllidae differ from 

 the other families of fleas occurring in our fauna by the pres- 

 ence of a dorsal sulcus separating the frons from the posterior 

 region of the head and permitting motion between the two. 

 Unfortunately, this character is not always distinct among the 

 various genera, and some experience is required to recognize 

 transitional forms. The following characteristics, which per- 

 tain to the eastern genera, are additional aids in distinguishing 

 the hystrichopsyllids. In a few genera the females have a double 

 receptaculum seminis, while in others this structure is single. 

 The members of the latter group possess both a genal and a pro- 

 notal ctenidium (except in Catallagia) . The eyes are weakly 

 developed or absent. The maxillae are roughly triangular and 

 taper to a sharp point. In most cases there are two or more 

 rows of bristles on the abdominal tergites, and in most instances 

 the abdominal tergites are further armed with short stout 

 teeth. Three to five antepygidial bristles are present on a side, 

 except in the case of N earctopsylla which has one or two. The 

 family is represented in the East by ten genera which may be 

 separated by the following key: 



Key to the Eastern Genera of Hystrichopsyllidae 



1. First abdominal tergite with a ctenidium consisting of spines as long 



as those of the pronotum Stenoponia, p. 81 



First abdominal tergite without such a ctenidium 2 



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