Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus 



Vol. II FEBRUARY, 1914 No. 2 



NOTES ON NORTH AMERICAN THYSANOPTERA, 

 WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF A NEW FAMILY AND 

 TWO NEW SPECIES 



By J. DOUGLAS HOOD 



Suborder TEREBRANTIA 

 Family MEROTHRIPID/E. new family 



This family is erected for the anomalous genus Merothrips Hood, 

 which contains the single North American species morgani. In structure 

 it is intermediate in many respects between the Tubulifera and Tere- 

 brantia/ and in habitat is very suggestive of the former. As only one 

 genus cind species is known, it seems best not to attempt a definition of 

 the family, but rather to emphasize the most striking characteristics, which 

 are as follows : 



Antennae moniliform, without apical stylus and without sense cones, 

 but with a tympanum-like area on segments 3 and 4. Mouth cone semi- 

 circular in form. Pronotum with dorsal sutures. Anterior and posterior 

 femora greatly enlarged. Ovipositor very weak, probably functionless. 



Merothrips morgani Hood. 



1912. Merothrips morgani Hood, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., Vol. XIV, p. 132, 

 PI. V. figs. 1-3. 



One female was taken by Mr. W. L. McAtee and the writer under 

 dead willow bark on Plummer's Island, Maryland, October 5, 1913; 

 and on January 16, 1914, another female was found by Mr. R. C. 

 Shannon, hibernating in a bird's nest, in Potomac Paurk, Washington, 



* Dr. H. Kamy, of Vienna, in a recent letter, received since the above was written, 

 says: "Was Ihr Genus Merothrips betrifft, so halte ich dieses fiir sehr wichtig und 

 interessant: nach Ihrer Beschreibung mochte ich glauben, dass es sich um eine neue, 

 zwischen den Terebrantien und Tubuliferen intermediare Familie handelt." 



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