THE FLEAS OF NORTH AMERICA 97 



plate VII. The members of his subfamily Ischnopsyllinae are said 

 to possess the wide, clear area on the head and the antepvgidial 

 bristles, while the members of the subfamily Xycteridopsyllinae are 

 characterized by the absence of the wide, clear area on the head and 

 by the presence of a comb of bristles on tergal plate VII which 

 takes the place of the absent antepvgidial bristles. Accordingly, the 

 genera Myodopsylla, SternopsyTl-a, and RhinolophopsyUa are refer- 

 red to the Ischnopsyllinae by Wagner; but of these genera only 

 Myodopsylla has a distinct, clear area on the frons. Hence this 

 character does not apply generally and is not satisfactory as a basis 

 for the establishment of a subfamily. The other characters used, 

 i. e.. the presence or absence of antepvgidial bristles and the presence 

 or absence of a comb of spines, while of great generic value, are not 

 here regarded sufficiently important, when used by themselves, to dis- 

 tinguish subfamilies. In our fauna only the genus EptescopsyUa 

 would go into the subfamily Xycteridopsyllinae. No provision was 

 made by Wagner for the genus PtUopsyUa^ which he believes is sepa- 

 rated from both subfamilies and cannot be placed until more is 

 known about it. 



The present writers are of the opinion that the Ischnopsyllidae, 

 as the family is now constituted, does not break into subfamilies. 

 However, the discovery of more genera and species, which will un- 

 doubtedly come with time, may lead to a revision of this belief. 



Key to the North American Genera of Ischnopsyllidae 



1. Maxillae either acuminate or narrowly rounded apically 2 



Maxillae truncate or nearly truncate apically 3 



2. Antepvgidial bristles present; abdominal tergal plate VII without 



a comb of thickened bristles Sternopsylla Jordan and Rothschild. 



Antepvgidial bristles absent; abdominal tergal plate VII with a 

 comb of thickened bristles Eptescopsylla I. Fox. 



3. Abdomen without combs, but sometimes with rows of minute teeth 



Rh inolophopsylla Oudemans. 



Abdomen with false ccmbs composed of enlarged setae in some of the 



transverse rows Myodopsylla Jordan and Rothschild. 



The Genus Sternopsylla Jordan and Rothschild 



(Figs. 8, F, and 11, D) 



Sternopsylla Jordan and Rothschild, 1921, Ectoparasites 1: 158. Type, Isch- 



nopsyllus tejcanus C. Fox (by original designation). 

 Aptilopsylla Ewing. 1940. Wash. Biol. Soc. Proc. 53: 36. Monotypic. Type, 



Aptilopsylla carlsbadensis Ewing. 



Head without dorsal incrassations. Frontal tubercle present or absent. 

 Ventral flaps long, slender, curved, tapering to the acuminate apex, with pos- 

 terior flap longer than anterior. Genal process acuminate. Eye vestiges large. 

 Ocular bristle present. Maxilla acuminate. Pronotum with a true comb. 

 Abdominal terga without combs. Antepvgidial bristles present. Tarsi long, 

 first segment of mid and hind tarsi with numerous small, hairlike setae, par- 

 ticularly in male. Fifth tarsal segment of each leg with 5 pairs of plantar 

 bristles, of which the first pair is ventral, the other 4 lateral. 



This genus is represented in North America by two species. Both 

 were described from females, but recently the males have been de- 

 scribed by Guimaraes (27), and the writers have received a large 

 consignment of Sternopsylla, including males, from G. M. Kohls, 

 taken in Carlsbad Cavern, N. Hex. 



467459 — 43 7 



