K. Jordan and N. C. Rothschild 
27 
lower edge covering part of the coxa. This episternum former authors 
considered to represent the hindwing of other insects, the real homology 
of this sclerite not occurring to them. Though its position is exactly 
as in the mesosternite the great size of the epimerum was apparently 
misleading. In all the genera of Pulicidae under discussion the 
epimerum has a great dorso-ventral extension, corresponding to the 
great expanse in that direction of the abdomen. The epimerum thus 
forms a lateral cover to the base of the abdomen replacing the 
absent sternal plate of the first abdominal segment. At the upper 
edge of the epimerum there is the third stigma. The epimerum bears 
in Loemopsylla always two rows of bristles 1 , the numbers varying often 
according to species, the females having a few more bristles than the 
males. The first row is sometimes represented by one bristle only (e.g. 
creusae and isidis). There is never an apical or subapical bristle on the 
epimerum 2 . 
The abdomen (PI. I) is strongly rounded dorsally and ventrally in 
both sexes of Loemopsylla, agreeing closely with that of Pidex irritans. 
The ventral curvature of the abdomen is much more marked in the 
male than in the female, especially anally, the genitalia being directed 
obliquely upwards. As in Pidex and Gtenocephalus, the abdomen is 
short, being more developed in a vertical direction than is the case in 
the American non-combed Pulicidae. The first tergite, which is the 
longest of all, but does not extend so far downwards as the other 
tergites, bears in most species of Loemopsylla two rows of bristles, the 
anterior row being sometimes represented by a few bristles only. In 
two species, however (L. isidis and creusae), this tergite has but one 
row of bristles. The tergites of segments 2 to 7 never bear more than 
one row of bristles, thus differing from the American non-combed 
Pidicidae, which have at least two rows on each segment. These 
bristles are placed on segments 2 to 6 of Ljoemopsylla a little beyond 
the centre of the segment, while on the seventh segment the row is 
situated much nearer the apical margin. In nearly all the species of 
Loemopsylla the row is complete, the most ventral bristle standing 
beneath the stigma, which is situated near the basal edge of the 
segment some distance from the row of bristles. The number of 
1 L. aequisetosus Enderl. is said to have only four bristles on this sclerite. 
2 On the inside of the epimerum or of the first abdominal tergite or of the meso- or 
metanotum there are often in mounted specimens the chitinous remnants of muscle-heads. 
We mention this because Packard (1894, p. 829) considered this patch to consist of hairs 
situated on the outside. 
