y 0/7-3 Vol. 85, No. 33, pp. 399-404 30 December 1972 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON A NEW SPECIES OF FELICOLA (MALLOPHAGA: TRICHODECTIDAE ) FROM THE LIBERIAN MONGOOSE (LIBERIICTIS KUHNI) By K. C. Emerson and Roger D. Price 2704 North Kensington Street, Arlington, Virginia 22207 and Department of Entomology, Fisheries, and Wildlife, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Recently Mr. Duane Schlitter, Division of Mammals, Na-tional Museum of Natural History, was able to collect the first known complete specimens of the rare Liberian Mon-goose, Liberiictis kuhni Hayman, the original description having been based only on skulls. Fortunately, he also ob-tained from this host a series of Mallophaga representing a new species. This new species is herewith described and illustrated. Felicola liberiae new species Figures 1-3 Holotype male: Total length, 1.42 mm (paratypes 1.40-1.43 mm). External morphology and chaetotaxy as shown in Figure 2. Genitalia as shown in Figure 3; genital sac small and not prominent. Allotype female: Total length, 1.42 mm (paratypes 1.41-1.45 mm). External morphology and chaetotaxy as shown in Figure 1. Discussion: Felicola liberiae is closest to F. bedfordi Hopkins in that the male genitalia, female genitalia, and external morphology are grossly similar for the two species. The male of F. bedfordi has the parameres of the genitalia much thinner than for F. liberiae, and the latter has a pair of setae on protuberances on abdominal tergite II, while F. bedfordi has six setae, arranged 2-1-1-2, in the same location. The female genital region of F. bedfordi has eight setae on the posterior vulval margin and four widely spaced setae on each gonopod; in F. liberiae, there are 12 setae on the posterior vulval margin and four closely grouped setae on each gonopod. Both sexes of F. liberiae have more abdominal tergal and sternal setae on segments III-IX and have three pairs of well-developed 33— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 85, 1972 (399)
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