THE FLEAS OF NORTH AMERICA 93 



The latter name was proposed, according to the opinion of these 

 authors, as a more appropriate name than C eratopsyllus Curtis for 

 bat fleas. This substitution of the name Leptopsylla for Ctenopsyllus 

 Kolenati, 1863, has not been accepted by Wagner, who has held that 

 Kolerfati (JJ. p. 31) in 1856 did not realty propose a new generic 

 name but only mentioned the name incidentally in his discussion of 

 the lack of appropriateness of the name Ceratopsyllus Curtis. It is 

 not exactly clear from the language used by Ivolenati whether he 

 intended to propose CtenopsyJlus as a new name. In this connection 

 it is to be noted that in the text of his paper he used Ceratopsyllus 

 Curtis, while the name Ctenopsyllus appears in a footnote. 



In 1932 Jordan (^2. p: 201) upheld and justified the substitution 

 of the name Leptopsylla for Ctenopsyllus Ivolenati, 1863, although 

 apparently admitting that Ctenopsyllus Ivolenati, 1856, was proposed 

 conditionally. He states: 



* * * A name published in this way is as* valid from the date of publication 

 as if Kolenati had said : "I name the comb-bearing fleas Ctenopsyllus." A very 

 large number of names have been published conditionally. Phrases in meaning 

 like the following are quite frequent : 'If the differences here mentioned should 

 turn out to be constant, the name X — us would be appropriate." * * * A name 

 published with a description or as an alternate name is valid whatever phrase- 

 ology is employed. 



While not entirely agreeing with Jordan's opinion, the writers 

 believe that the conditional language used by Kolenati is not 

 sufficient to exclude this name from consideration under the rules. 



Leptopsylla is represented in North America by a single species. 



Leptopsylla segnis (Schonherr) 



(Fig. 8, G) 



Pulex segnis Schonherr, 1811, Svenska Vetensk. Akad. Handl. (ser. 2) 



32: 98, fig. 

 Pulex musculi Duges, 1832, Ann. des. Sci. Nat. Zool. (ser. 1) 27: 1G0, pi. 4, 



figs. 3 and 10. 

 Typhlopsylla mexicana Baker, 1896, Canad. Ent. 28: 85. 

 Leptopsylla musculi Jordan and Rothschild, 1911, Xovitates Zool. 18: 85. 



Type host. — Mus museulus L. (house mouse). 



Type locality. — Sweden. 



Range. — In North America, the coastal areas of the United States 

 and Mexico. 



This species may be immediately recognized by the character of 

 the genal comb (fig. 8. G). Illustrations of diagnostic structures in 

 both the male and female may be found in I. Fox's work (25, p. 177). 



Two additional synonyms are indicated in Wagner's catalog (80, 

 p. 22). 



A\ agner (82) claims that samples of segnis taken from squirrels in 

 the Old World differ from those taken from other hosts and has 

 proposed for them the name of sciurobius. North American speci- 

 mens all appear to be typical representatives of segnis. 



The Genus Nearctopsylla Rothschild 



(Fig. 8, D) 



Xearctopsylla Rothschild. 1915, Novitates Zool. 22: 307. Type, Ctenopsyllus 

 brooksi Rothschild (by original designation). 



Head flattened in front. Genal comb vertical, consisting of 5 unequal, 



