AMERICAN APTKRA. 291 



A Revision of* the Mouth-parts of the CORRODEIVTIA 

 and the MALLOPHAGA. 



BY ROBERT E. SSODGRASS. 



(With Plate VIII.) 



I. Introduction. 



The conclusion reached by the writer through a study of the 

 material described in this paper is that the mouth-parts of the Cor- 

 rodentia and the Mallophaga are morphologically identical in struc- 

 ture. Furthermore, it will be seen by anyone acquainted with the 

 mouth-parts of biting insects in general that the two groups possess 

 several highly specialized mouth structures that are peculiar to 

 them. It is, thus, evident that the two orders are at least more 

 nearly related to each other than to any other order of insects. 



On account of the usual small size of the Corrodentia and the 

 Mallophaga and the consequent difficulty in making dissections the 

 mouth-parts of the two groups have been given various interpreta- 

 tions. The writer, however, has had the fortune to obtain through 

 Professor V L. Kellogg specimens of two unusually large Mallo- 

 phagan species, viz. : Ancidrona gigas Piaget and Lcemobothrium 

 gypsis Kellogg, the latter a giant among bird lice measuring nearlv 

 11 mm. in length. These two species are described and figured in 

 this paper. 



The writer is indebted to Mr. Nathan Banks for the identifica- 

 tion of Corrodentian specimens. 



The variety of opinion that has been published concerning the 

 mouth-parts of the two orders in question can probably be best 

 illustrated by a brief historical resume. The number given in 

 parentheses after an author's name refers to the number of the paper 

 given in the bibliographical list. 



The earlier entomologists of course confused the Mallophaga with 

 the blood-sucking or true lice, but since the beginning of last cen- 

 tury it has been known that they have biting mouth-parts and that 

 they feed on the feathers or hairs of their hostes. 



Nitzsch (1) in 1818 published the first account of the Mallopha- 

 gan mouth-parts and described them correctly. He recognized the 

 biting mandibles, he ascribed the palpi of the suborder Amblycera 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC. XXXI. CSS) AUGUST, 1905. 



