190 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vOL. 106 



Seasonal distribution: E. hamiltoni has been collected in 

 Februaiy, March, and April. 



Geographic distribution: E. hamiltoni has been collected 

 from Dutchess and Putnam Counties, N. Y., and from Hardy 

 County, W. Va. (fig. 7, a). 



Diagnosis : E. hamiltoni can be distinguished by the following 

 combination of characters : No tibiala III, palpal claw with more 

 than three prongs, scutum roughly rectangular, anterolateral 

 setae and posterolateral setae long and about the same length. 



Remarks: E. hamiltoni has been collected only from bats in 

 the eastern United States. Morphologically it is very distinct 

 from the one other species, E. pipistrelli, reported from bats. A 

 most unusual difference occurs in the eyes of the two species. 

 E. pipistrelli has the most reduced eyes of North American 

 Euschongastia, and E. hamiltoni has the largest. 



E. hamiltoni appears to be intermediate in character. Although 

 it is a typical Euschongastia, it cannot clearly be grouped morpho- 

 logically with any other species. 



The "blarinae" group 



The "blarinae" group of Euschongastia consists of five species. 

 Diagnostic features include: No tibiala III; palpal claw with 

 more than three prongs; scutum wider than long, more or less 

 pointed at the posterolateral corners, anterolateral setae much 

 shorter than the posterolaterals ; lateral seta on palpal tibia nude ; 

 galeal seta with setules. 



19. Euschongastia blarinae (Ewing) 



Figure l,d; Plates 5, 8, 18 



Trombicula blarinae Ewing, 1931, pp. 11-12, 19, pi. 1, fig. 1.— Radford, 1942, 

 pp. 57, 59, fig. 3.— Michener, 1946, p. 431.— Sig Thor and Willmann, 

 1947, pp. 259, 271. 



Neoschongastia blarinae, Ewing, 1946c, pp. 21, 22. 



Euschongastia blarinae, Fuller, 1948, p. 103; 1952, pp. 182, 183. 



Description: Size: Length, 205 to 600; width, 155 to 580. 



Shape: Unengorged, broad ovoid, rounded posteriorly; en- 

 gorged, ovoid to oval. 



Color : Opaque white with red eyes. 



Gnathosoma: Short and broad. Seta on palpal coxa with long 

 setules. Seta on palpal femur rather heavy with long, spaced 

 setules. Genual seta with about two short rows of long setules. 

 Dorsal seta on palpal tibia with two alternate rows of setules; 

 lateral seta nude, slender; ventral seta with a few long, alter- 



