196 THE ento:mologist's record. 



(lorilis, ('. phlacas, Pobjminnatiis baton, P. (iHtrarclie, P. icarus, P. 

 hellan/iis, Xomiades n/llariis, X. melanops, Ctipido sebrus, Kcerea aryiades 

 var. poli/.sperclion, PapiUo podalirius, P. machaon, Thais viedesicastr, 

 Aporia crataciii (larvffi), Pontia daplidice vai". hellidire, Aiithocaris belia, 

 A. tai/is var. bellezoia, Kiivldo'c i-itpJtejwides, K, cardainines, Pieris rojMic, 

 /'. hras.sicac, P. napi, Leucopltasia dnapis, L. lUipunclu'lii, t'olias lnjalc, 

 ('. editsa, (Jonejiteri/.i' cleopatra, Pohjijonia c-albuui, Kinjonia jwhjclilorns, 

 Pyrameh atalanta, P. cardid, Ai/laia tirticae (larvje), Mditaea ciuxia, 

 M. aiirinia var. procincialis, M. phoehe, Brenthift dia, Anii/nni^ lathonia, 

 Parart/f (yeria, P. inerjaera, ('(lewDii/Dipha pampJiilii^, Krebia epiatipine, 

 and k. ci/rti.— June 26th, 1903. 



A New British Flea: Typhloceras poppei, Wagner {n-ith plate). 



By the Hon. N. C. liOTHSCHILD, B.A., F.L.S. 



Dr. Wagner" has recently described a very remarkable flea from a 

 single female specimen sent to him for examination by Herr A. 

 Poppe, taken on ]\Iarch 15th, 1898, at Vegesack, near Bremen. The 

 insect in question has been very properly placed in a new genus, of 

 which it is the only known representative. Some years ago the late 

 Dr. Nitsche, of Tharandt, Saxony, forwarded us a female specimen of 

 this insect for identification. Although we informed Dr. Nitsche that 

 it was quite new, he never described it. We have since received 

 several specimens of this very peculiar insect, a list of these being 

 appended. Among them are several males. In the present article 

 we are recording this species as new to Great Britain, and also take 

 the opportunity of describing the hitherto unknown male, and figuring 

 some of the more important portions of the exo-skeleton of both 

 sexes. Dr. Wagner points out that the present species is related to 

 both the genera t'eratopluilhis and Tii}ddopmjlla. The insect, however, 

 is more closely related to the members of the genus Hystrichopsi/lla 

 than to any other Siphonaptera. Ti/pJdoccras poppet resembles 

 Hj/stricltiyisi/lla talpae in the following characters. The spines placed 

 on the lateral portions of the abdominal tergites are far nearer the 

 stigmata than they are in other genera. The apical hairs on the 7th 

 tergite of both sexes resemble in their relative sizes those placed in 

 the same position in the genus Hi/strichojisi/lla. The clasper-like 

 portion of the 9th tergite of the male is modified (fig. 2), being 

 produced in the centre to form an unpaired process (u.p.), which 

 character is, as far as we know% present only in the genus Hijstri- 

 ehupfiijUa among British Siphonaptera. The distal end of the 9th 

 sternite in the male (fig. 2, ix. st.) greatly resembles in respect to 

 the short chitinous spines placed thereon this portion of the exo- 

 skeleton of Hijstrieliopsijlla talpae. The insect under discussion, 

 however, shows some resemblances to members of the genus 

 Ti/pJd(ips)/lla, the 8th sternite of the male being large and well- 

 developed as in that genus. This portion, it will be remembered, in 

 Ih/.^tricJinjjsi/lla is reduced in size, while in the genus ('eratoplii/llxs it 

 is represented by a narrow strip of chitin. The 9th sternite of the 

 male, moreover, in T. pojiprj is not fused at the distal end, resembling 

 in this character, again, the genus Ti/pJdopsi/lla. In lltjs.trir}top^ylla 

 the two halves of this portion are completely fused. The relationship 



* Hor. Soc. Ent. Ros.'i., xxxvi., p. 154 (1902). 



