KEY TO THE SUBORDERS AND FAMILIES OF MALLOPHAGA 

 OF NEW ENGLAND BIRDS 



1. Maxillary palpi four segmented; antennae four segmented, 

 distinctly clubbed or capitate and concealed in grooves 

 on the underside of the head; mandibles horizontal; 



meso- and metathorax usually separated by a suture 



Suborder AMBLYCERA 2. 



Maxillary palpi absent; antennae five segmented 

 filiform, not concealed in grooves; mandibles verti- 

 cal; meso- and metathorax fused without a dividing 

 suture Suborder ISCHNOCERA 4. 



2. Head evenly expanded behind, broadly triangular 



Family MENOPONIDAE 



Head not evenly expanded or broadly triangular 3. 



3. Sides of head with strong bulbous swelling in front 

 of eyes (infesting birds of prey, coots and grebes) — 

 Family LAEMOBOTHRIIDAE 



Side of head straight (infesting passerines and 

 hummingbirds) Family RICINIDAE 



4. Tarsi with two claws; antennae five segmented 



Family PHILOPTERIDAE 



LAEMOBOTHRIIDAE 



This family is closely allied to the family Ricinidae. Members of 

 the Laemobothriidae resemble the Ricinidae in having all legs two- 

 clawed and the antennae enclosed in capsules which open ventrally. In 

 the Laemobothriidae the antennal capsules are bulbous and form con- 

 spicuous lateral swellings on the head. The lateral contours of the 

 abdomen are unbroken by any notching at the junctions of the segments. 



The family Laemobothriidae contains a single genus of about 26 

 species. Clay and Hopkins (1952) recognized the subgenus Laemobothrion 

 which includes the species of Laemobothrion parasitic upon the Falconi- 

 formes and the subgenus Eutaemobothrion Ewing, 1929, as including the 

 Laemobothrion infesting the order Gruiformes and the family 

 Poticipitidae. The largest known species of Mallophaga belong to this 

 family; some hawk infesting species are 10 mm. in length. 



