rOLYCTENID.i:. 11 



Family POLYCTENID^. 



Polyctenidse, Westtv. Thesaur. Entom. p. 197 (1874). 



The taxonomic position of this small family is almost still suh 

 judice. It is founded on the genus Pohjctenes (Westw. & Giglioli, 

 Quart. Journ. Microsc. Sc. iv, p. 25, 18G4), which was placed in 

 the Dipterous family Nycteribiidae. Westwood subsequently, in 

 founding a family for its reception supra, regarded it as represent- 

 ing aberrant Anophira or Lice. Waterbouse (Trans. Ent. Soc. 1879, 

 p. 309) considered its affinities to be with the Dipterous family 

 Hippoboscidfe, but subsequently (Trans. Ent. Soc. 1880, p. 320) 

 agreed with Westwood as to its inclusion with the Rhynchota. 

 Sharp (Camb. Nat. Hist, vi, p. 561, 1899) considers that " there 

 does not appear any sufficient grounds for removing these parasites 

 from Hemiptera-Heteroptera '' — a view in which I concur, and 

 have placed the Polyctenidse at the end of the genera composing the 

 Gymnocerata. Mr. Champion, ho\\ever, has not included a 

 (ruatemalan specimen described by Waterbouse in his enumeration 

 of the Heteroptera of Central America. 



These insects are parasitic on Bats. Westwood's diagnosis has 

 been abbreviated by Sharp as follows : — 



" Proboscis-sheath three-jointed, tarsi four- join ted, antennae 

 four-jointed. Tegmina quite short, of one consistence." 



The species have been recorded from both the Eastern and 

 Western Hemispheres. 



Genus POLYCTENES. 



Polvctenes, Westio. Sf Giglioli, Quart. Journ. Microsc. Sc. iv, p. 25 

 (1864) ; Westw. Thesaur. Entom. p. 198 (1874). 



Type, P. molossus, Westw. & Giglioli, found on a Chinese 

 species of Bat. 



Distribution. Pound in both the Eastern and AVestern Tropics 

 but present knowledge very slight and imperfect. 



Antenna? four-joiut^d, a little longer than the head, first joint 

 incrassated, angulated above near base and provided with long 

 setae, its apical area setose, the second, third, and fourth joints 

 decreasing in length, the third joint beyond base outwardly 

 provided with long setae ; rostrum shorter than head, three- 

 jointed, first joint a little dilated at base ; tarsi at apices sometimes 

 provided with a spinulose pulvillus. 



1482. Polyctenes lyrae, Waterh. r/-.^..S'.1879,p.311, t. ix,ff. 1 & 2. 



" Uniform pale pitchy-yellow. The anterior portion of the head 

 smooth and shining, with three or four stiff bristles on the margin 



