58 MISC. PUBLICATION 5 00, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



(84, V- ®01) reported asio from that Province in 1936 without indicat- 

 ing the subspecies or variety. 



The original description of asio was based on a single female. A 

 recent description, based on both sexes and accompanied by detail 

 figures of the same, was given by I. Fox (1940). The species, like 

 some of the others of its genus, is characterized by the peculiar nature 

 of the movable finger in the male. This structure is large and in the 

 shape of an inverted L with two toothlike, black spines at the apex. 

 Although asio was originally described from an owl, birds do not con- 

 stitute natural hosts, which are wild mice. 



Trichopsylla (Trichopsylla) asio orecta (Jordan), new combination 



Megahothris asio orectus Jordan, 1938, Novitates Zool. 41: 122, figs. 72-73. 



Type host. — "Nest of a mouse." 



Type locality. — Ravalli County, Mont. 



Range. — Known only from Montana. 



According to the original description of orecta, it differs from the 

 type subspecies in that the distal part of the movable finger in the 

 male is produced farther backward and the upper lobe of sternal 

 plate VII of the female is slightly longer. 



Trichopsylla (Trichopsylla) atrox (Jordan), new combination 



Ceratophyllus atrox Jordan, 1925, Novitates Zool. 32 : 112, figs. 45-46. 

 Megahothris atrox Jordan, 1933, Novitates Zool. 39 : 77. 



Type host. — Mustela sp. 



Type locality. — Blackfalls, Alberta. 



Range. — Known only from Alberta. 



This species was supposed by Jordan to be a bird flea when he wrote 

 the original description. Later, in 1933, when he erected Megahothris, 

 he included atrox with this statement, "M. atrox with its comb of more 

 than 25 spines recalls the Bird-fleas (Ceratophyllus s. str.) ." In addi- 

 tion to having more than 25 spines in the pronotal comb, atrox is 

 especially characterized by the very broad and deep sinus in sternal 

 plate VII of the female. 



Trichopsylla (Trichopsylla) bakeri (Wagner), new combination 



Ceratophyllus bakeri Wagner, 1933, Berlin Zool. Mus. Mitt. 18 : 352, fig. 13. 



Type host. — "Hausmaus." 

 Type locality. — Labrador. 

 Range. — Known only from Labrador. 



Wagner (84, p. 200), in 1936, stated that this species, which is based 

 upon a single female, possibly represents a race of wagneri (Baker). 



Trichopsylla (Trichopsylla) bitterrootensis (Dunn), new combination 



Ceratophyllus bitterrootensis Dunn, 1923, U. S. Pub. Health Serv. Rpts. 38 : 2771. 

 Ceratophyllus isus Jordan, 1925, Novitates Zool. 32 : 110, figs. 39-40. 



Type host. — Neotoma cinerea (Ord) (pack rat). 



Type locality. — Spoon Creek, southwest of Darby, Mont. 



Range. — Western part of the United States and Canada. 



