Posthumous Papers of Melbourne A. Carriker, Jr. 



I. The Mallophagan Genus Menacanthus (Insecta: Meno- 

 ponidae) Parasitic on the Woodpeckers CAves: Picidae) 



Up to the present time, there have been described seven species of the 

 genus Menacanthus parasitic on woodpeckers. Three are from European 

 hosts, two from the United States, one from Mexico (Baja CaHfornia), and 

 one from Brazil. Specimens of five of these species have been studied and 

 figured by the author. Twelve new forms are described and figured in 

 the present report. All are from Neotropical hosts, except two, one from 

 the United States and the other from Korea. 



The type of M. picicola (Packard) apparently has been lost, and no 

 specimens of it are known to exist. M. picorum (Eichler) has not been 

 seen, but it is possibly subspecifically related to M. koreae, new species, 

 described below. In the absence of specimens, both picicola and picorum 

 have been omitted from the key. 



The whole group, with a few exceptions, is extremely homogeneous, and 

 in some cases the species are very difficult to separate, even when their 

 hosts are generically distinct. 



The avian genus Phloeoceastes is host to three species of Menacanthus, which 

 may be recognized at a glance by their minute ventral head spines and 

 the male genitalia. It is also interesting to note that from this same host 

 genus was described (Carriker, 1949, Rev. Brasileira Biol., vol. 9, p. 309) 

 the genus Epipicus Carriker (family Philopteridae), which was placed by 

 Hopkins and Clay (1952, Checklist of genera and species of Mallophaga, 

 p. 318) in synon>Tny with Rallicola Johnston and Harrison. To this 

 author it seems quite inexplicable to bring together lice from distantly 

 related host birds, Rallidae and Picidae. 



In the species studied, the chaetotaxy of the head seems to follow the 

 same pattern (see figures), but that of the prothorax diff"ers in at least six 

 species of those treated, while the remainder follow almost exacdy the 

 same pattern, which is as follows: One spine in anterolateral angle, 

 followed closely by a long seta; another long seta near the posterolateral 

 angle and with a small spine more or less midway between them; and four 

 long setae on each side of the posterior margin. There are slight differences 

 in the length of these setae, especially of the spinelike setae on lateral 

 margins. There is, in addition to the above, an extremely minute spine 

 (often almost invisible) at each end of the hyaline carina across anterior 

 portion of prothorax, just inside the curving, deeply pigmented carinae 

 which support the first coxae. 



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