224 Souther /I Cross. 



PTERYGOTA. 



HEMIPTERA PARASITICA. 



PEDICULID^. 

 By the Hon. N". C. Rothschild, B.A. 



ECHINOPTHIRIUS SETOSUS. 



Pediculus setosus, Lucas, Magazin de Zool., lY., ]\ 121, f. 12. 



Thirteen specimens of this species were secured by the ' Sovthcrn 

 Cross' Expedition from the Antarctic Seal {Ogmorhinus le2Jtonyx) on 

 October 6th, 1899 (c/. Borchgrevink, ' First on Antarctic Continent,' 

 p. 184). 



This species is known to be a parasite of the common seal 

 (Phoca vitulina). I have, however, failed to find any distinguishing 

 characters between the thirteen specimens from the South Polar 

 Seas and examples from the better known host. 



Piaget^ characterizes the genus FcMnoj^thirius as possessing four- 

 jointed antennse, pointing out, moreover, that by this character 

 EchinoptMrius may be readily distinguished from Hmmatopiniis. 



I am inclined to consider Piaget to be mistaken in this respect, 

 as the first two joints of the antenna? are, under a low power, some- 

 what difficult to distinguish. Lucas, moreover, in his description of 

 Pcdicuhis setosus, mentioned the five-jointed antenna\ 



' Les Pediculincp, Vol. I., p. G56. 



