Dr. Murai Éva - Gubányi András szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 28. (Budapest, 1995)

Pigmentation: The female is less pigmented than the male, coloured pale yellowishbrown. Patterns are in dark brown. Gena dorsalis is remarkably light coloured. Remarks: This species is closest to Menacanthus sittae (Giebel, 1866) of the nuthatch (Sitta europaea L., 1758). In his redescription of the Menacanthus eurysternus complex, Price (1975) synonymised this name as a junior synonymy of Menacanthus eurysternus (Burmeister, 1838). However, Fedorenko (1983) - while also considering the works of Price (1975, 1977) - accepted Menacanthus sittae (Giebel, 1866) of the nuthatch as a different species in her monography. She also modified the name of Menacanthus eurysternus to M. eurysternum and mentioned the magpie (Pica pica) as the type host. Menacanthus eurysternum and M. sittae are keyed and illustrated in her monography. Table 1 Morphological characteristics of female, male and larval Menacanthus tichodromae sp. n. (Dimensions in millimetres) Female length width Male length width Larva length width Caput: 0.27 0.54 0.25 0.46 0.21 0.36 Thorax: 0.31 0.31 0.22 Prothorax: 0.16 0.38 0.12 0.32 0.11 0.18 Mesothorax: 0.11 0.52 0.11 0.35 0.06 0.24 Metathorax: 0.53 0.40 0.28 Abdomen: 1.12 0.72 0.63 0.48 0.51 0.39 Total length: 1.70 1.19 0.94 Genitalia: 0.31 Menacanthus tichodromae sp. nova is recognised from M. eurysternus (Burmeister, 1838) and M. sittae (Giebel, 1866) by the following features. The clypeus is different in the pattern of its dark ornament, pale patch and its more concave edge. On the dorsal side of the clypeus , clavus frontalis has a different shape and a different pattern of setae. The abdomen is longer and broader than the head. The broad dark band of regio occipitalis ends in a hooked apex, which have a different shape. The two dark sickle-shaped ornament on the clypeus have a different shape. The setae of arcus frontalis are longer, their number is different from those of M. eurysternus and M. sittae. The pattern of abdominal chaetotaxy is also different. The second pair of limbs (pes medialis) bears a different series of setae at the join of the femur and tibia. Male body length and genitalia length are smaller, not within the ranges given by Price (1975) for M. eurysternus males. Description of male: Smaller and darker than the female. Body shape and chaetotaxy are resembling those of the female. Head is nearly twice as broad as its length. The pigmented genitalia is somewhat darker than the sternits. Telomeron is paired and sclerotised, the end of parameres are flexed outwards at right angles. The paramere bears an elongated cover. The apodeme is pigmented.