Two new species of Myrsidea (Phthiraptera: Amblycera: Menoponidae) from hummingbirds (Apodiformes: Trochilidae)

Myrsidea is a large genus of chewing lice with more than 200 species on Passeriformes and six on Piciformes. Myrsidea imbricata (Neumann), he only Myrsidea previously reported from a hummingbird, has been considered a contaminant or straggler. Recent collections of lice have included specimens of Myrsidea from a number of hummingbird species from different localities. They confirm tha this genus occurs on the Trochilidae. Two new species, M. kristineae and M. jenniferae, are described and illustrated. They have sufficient characteristics in common with M. imbricata to suggest strongly that the host of that species was a hummingbird.