REVISION OF GENUS FURNARICOLA — CARRIKER 407 



Later Miss Clay published a paper in 1953 on "The Rallicola- 

 coraplex" (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, vol. 123, pt, 3, pp. 563-587), in 

 which it was maintained that Furnaricola, Epipectus Carriker, and 

 Corvicolu Carriker were synonyms of Rallicola. How^ever, Epipectus 

 is parasitic only on large woodpeckers (Phloeoceastes and Dnjocopus, 

 especially the former), and Corvicola is from a species of Corvidae 

 from Guam Island, 



Her contention is based on the fact that the heads of all three 

 genera are of a similar type, that the male genitalia are similar in 

 all three, and that a pair of ventral spines is present on each side of 

 the distal segment of the abdomen in the females with a fringe of 

 short spines around the posterior margin of the last sternite. 



The species of Rallicola, found on the family Rallidae, are a some- 

 what heterogenous lot, many of them with strongly dimorphic antennae 

 and other outstanding variations; they range in size from very minute 

 to quite large. Furnaricola has proven to be a very large, very 

 homogenous gi-oup in which there is never any sexual dimorphism in 

 the antennae; there are also certain differences between it and Rallicola 

 in the abdominal structure and chaetotaxy. 



The numerous known species of Furnaricola are all of a similar 

 type, with variations in the shape of the head, size of body, and always 

 in the male genitalia, but the females are sometimes so closely related 

 that their separation, without the male, is often difficult. The only 

 certain manner that I have discovered for separation of the females 

 is by the chaetotaxy of the last abdominal segment. 



I think that it would be most unwise to place this genus under the 

 synonomy of Rallicola, since it would utterly confuse any idea of the 

 relationships betw^een the Mallophaga and their hosts. 



Key to Known Males of Furnaricola Based Largely on Genitalia 



A. Paramera bifurcated on inner margin. 



a. Bifurcations long and slender, extending backward almost to base. 



b. Head large, with wider frons (.43X.39; frons .108) . . . heterocephala 

 bb. Head smaller, frons narrower (.40X.35; frons .078) . . . . laticephala 

 aa. Bifurcation much shorter. 



b. Distal half of outer margin of paramera straight titicacae 



bb. Distal half of paramera slender and curving inward. 



c. Basal half of paramera wide, in contrast to slender, curving distal 



portion (paramera: .05) punensis 



cc. Basal portion narrower; paramera long (1.05), tapering gradually 



from base to tip with a reverse curve myrmeciza 



A A. Paramera not bifurcated on inner margin. 



a. Distal portion of paramera straight on outer margin. 



b. Endomera with a rounded median, and pointed lateral, projections on 

 basal margin. 



c. Distal portion of paramera very short, with the straight inner margin, 

 terminating at tip of endomera parvigenitalis 



