170 
Mallophaga from South African Birds 
Genus Neomenopon, n. gen. 
The genus may be characterised as follows: Head with distinct and fairly 
deep ocular emarginations; very broad, more than twice as wide as long; 
temples large. Prothorax with lateral margins rounded. Mesothorax fused 
with the metathorax. Pleurites well developed. 
Neomenopon pteroclurus, n. sp. (Plate XIII, figs. 1, 2). 
Female. Specimens preserved in alcohol are extremely dark, almost 
black, and it is then impossible to make out the markings. When mounted 
in Canada balsam, however, they are brown in colour, with dark brown mark¬ 
ings. The head is extremely broad, being slightly more than twice as wide j 
across the temples as long. The forehead is flatly rounded in front, and turns 
abruptly inwards on each side, extending backwards from the lateral angles 
in an almost straight line to the temples. On the margin of the forehead 
there are sixteen hairs, and on the dorsal surface there are six, situated in a 
line between the lateral angles; of these, one is situated on each side, midway 
between the median line and the lateral angle, and two—a long and a minute 
one —on each side between this hair and the margin. The temples are abruptly I 
rounded, with about 10 long and short hairs on the margins. Occiput very 
slightly concave, with six hairs. Eye large, without a hair. On the ventral 
surface there is a chitinous structure for support of the mandibles, which 
consists of a band projecting backwards and slightly inwards on each side 
from the anterior margin to a short distance beyond the antennary fossa, 
where each is joined together by a transverse band. From each of the two 
angles formed by these bands there extends a curved band to the occipital 
margin. Above the transverse band there are two hairs, and above these are 
two shorter ones. The apical segment of the palpi is the longest, the third is 
the shortest, and the first and second sub-equal. 
The shape of the two terminal segments of the antennae cannot be made 
out, owing to their being partly hidden by the pockets formed by the forehead 
and temples, which are very dark. On each side of the gular region there are j 
four or five hairs in a longitudinal row. 
Thorax. The prothorax is winged, with a short spine on each side in 
front, a long hair beneath it, and another short spine beneath this again; 
and on the posterior margin there are eight hairs. The interscapular bar does 
not quite reach the scapulars, and it is crossed by a median longitudinal 
bar. 
The metathorax is shorter than the prothorax, with twelve hairs on the 
posterior margin, and a short spine on each side near the latero-posterior 
angles. On the metasternum there is a narrow longitudinal median plate 
bearing about ten hairs, and below this, between the mid and hind coxae, a j 
median patch of nine hairs. 
