1 2 (Januiiry, 



ON TWO NEW SPECIES OF MALLOPHAGA (MENOFONIDAE) : 



MENACANTHUS UALFOURI n. sp. AND MYRSIDEA VICTBIX n. sp. 



FEOM COLOMBIA. 



BY JAMES WATERSTON, B. D., B. Sc. 

 (Imperial Bureau of Entomology) 



Plate I. 



During a visit to Colombia in May of this year, Dr. Andrew 

 Balfovir, director, Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research, secured 

 several Mallophagous parasites on a " black and yellow billed Toucan." * 

 These examples have been handed to me for report, and they are of 

 special interest as coming from a host genus of whose parasites little 

 is known. 



Two species, both Menoponids and apparently new, are represented 

 in Dr. Balfour's gatherings. Till recently, many genera and possibly 

 even sub-families have been confused under Menopon. In 1912, Neumann 

 (Archiv. de Parasitol., p. 353) proposed the name Menacatithus for those 

 forms which are provided with a pair (or more) of heavy peg-like spines 

 on the inferior surface of the head. This excellent character, however, 

 seems to me to have more than generic value, and Menacanthus bringing 

 together as it does parasites of woodpeckers, fowls and dogs, has still 

 too wide a scope, and is neither natural nor convenient. The genus should 

 be further sub-divided, and might well be restricted to those species 

 with spines on the underside of the head, which when flattened out is 

 slightly pointed anteriorly, the flap across the ocular emargination 

 rovxnded off before the eye, and separated from it by a slit-like incision 

 above the last joint of the antennae, the temples evenly rounded, the 

 thorax normal, small, not mai'kedly separated from the abdomen, 

 which is without pleural incrassation of any kind, and the abdominal 

 chaetotaxy simple. 



This definition would include the first-four species of Neumann's 

 list and, of course, many others. The genus Menacanthus thus narrowed 

 is specially characteristic of the Passerine order of birds. 



At least one other genus is found on the same hosts. It may be 

 defined as follows. 



Mtrsidea gen. nov. 



Head and thorax broad and large in proportion to the abdomen. No spines 

 on ventral surface of head. Flap across ocular emargination continuotis with 

 eye. Temples large, reclined towards the occipiit. Forehead flatly rounded 

 •Probably Jihampliastos tucdvd Vieill. A.B., in Hit. 



