The Menoponidae of the Cracidae and the genus Odontophorus

Abstract

In 1950 I published a monograph of the New World species of the genus Amyrsidea' Ewing, including in it all of the Amblycera parasitic ou the avian family Cracidae and the genus Cdontophorus (Phasianidae), excepting those of the genus Menacanthus, which had been reviewed in 1946. Before the publication of this paper I had consulted with Dr. Hopkins regarding the generic position of these parasites, and he informed me that it had been decided to place all of the known Menoponidae of the Galliformes (excep- ting Menacanthus) in the genus Amyrsidea Ewing, the host of which is the Argus Pheasant (Argusianus argus Linné). At that time I had not seen specimens of Menopon ventralis Nitzsch (the genotype of Amyrsidea), but after a careful study of Ewing's description I was not at all certain that my numerous species of this group were congeneric with Amyrsidea ventralis (Nit), and so stated in the introduction to my review of the group.