90 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vor.. 105 



One striking feature of this species is that both sexes have a pair of 

 both anterior and posterior setae on the thoracic sternal plate. Dorsal 

 chaetotaxy as in S. petersi. 



Female : As in the male, this species is characterized by its greater 

 size. Dorsal chaetotaxy as in table 3. Sternite VII is free from the 

 subgenital plate. There are 3 to 4 setae on each side of the last 

 sternal plate. 



Material examined: All specimens ex bridled tern (Sterna anae- 

 thetus melanoptera Swainson). 1 cf and 19, British West Indies, 

 Bahama Islands, North Elbow Cay, Cay Sal Bank, H. S. Peters, coll. 

 (USNM, Bishopp No. 15014); 2 cf cf and 19, British West Indies, 

 Turks Island, Long Cay, H. S. Peters, coll. (HSP, Bishopp No. 

 15205); 2 cf cT, South Carolina, Orangeburg, E. B. Chamberlain, coll. 

 (USNM, Bishopp No. 19713); 1 cf and 1 9, New York, Long Island, 

 L. Wilcox, coll. (USNM); 2 99, Alabama, Fairhope, Mrs. W. H. 

 Edwards, coll. (USNM, Bishopp No. 19680). 



Saemundssonia petersi, new species 



Docophorus melanocephalus Kellogg and Kuwana, 1902, p. 462 (part) [nee Bur- 



meister]. Hosts: Sterna fuliginosa =■ S. fuscata crissalis (Lawrence) and 



Nesominus macdonaldi Ridgway (straggler). 

 Docophorus melanocephalus Kellogg, 1906, p. 316 (part) [nee Burmeister]. Hosts: 



Sterna fuliginosa = S. fuscata crissalis (Lawrence) and Anoxis slolidus galapa- 



gensis Sharpe (straggler). 

 Philopterus snyderi Ferris, 1932, p. 71, fig. 20 [nee Kellogg and Paine]. Host: 



Sterna fuscata oahuensis Bloxham. 

 Saemundssonia snyderi Thompson, 1948, p. 199 (part) [nee Kellogg and Paine]. 



Host: S. fuscata oahuensis Bloxham. 



This species has had a confusing nomenclatorial history for 50 

 years. The types of Saemundssonia peristicta (Kellogg and Kuwana) 

 have been examined, and compared with material from Sterna fuscata 

 Linn6. It is clearly evident that peristicta is not the species of Sae- 

 mundssonia found on Sterna fuscata as Clay (1949, p. 15) assumes. 

 The status of Saemundssonia peristicta (Kellogg and Kuwana) is 

 discussed by the author in another paper (Ward, 1953). 



Specimens have been studied from two subspecies of S. fuscata 

 other than the nominate host. No valid statistical differences have 

 been found in comparing measurements or chaetotaxy counts for the 

 separation of subspecies. 



Male: Closely allied to meridiana and snyderi. Head not as wide 

 as in meridiana. Dorsal chaetotaxy as in table 2. Genitalia as in 

 figure l,b,d,f. Parameres 0.22 to 0.26 mm. in length; with a basad 

 concavity on the inner face, forming almost a right angle with the 

 shaft as in meridiana and snyderi. Endomere with a terminal, lightly 

 sclerotozed, evenly rounded process. Mesosomal setae linearly 

 arranged on at least one side. 



