A DC9-40 FLC IS ALERTED WHEN AIRBORNE TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE SHORT 1 FLT ATTENDANT; WITH FLT REQUIRING 3; NOT 2 FLT ATTENDANTS. OCCURRED AT MEM; TN.

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DEPARTED ON MEM TO DFW ON A DC9-40 WHICH REQUIRES 3 WORKING FLT ATTENDANTS. WE RECEIVED AN ACARS MESSAGE FROM SCHEDULING REQUESTING A FLT ATTENDANT COUNT AT WHICH POINT WE REALIZED WE ONLY HAD 2 FLT ATTENDANTS ON BOARD. OUR INBOUND PLANE WAS LATE AND THE PREFLT PREPARATIONS WERE HECTIC. AT THE TIME I BOARDED THE FLT; THERE WAS APPARENTLY STILL FLT ATTENDANTS FROM THE INBOUND FLT ON BOARD ALONG WITH OUR 2 COMMON CREW FLT ATTENDANTS; A CLEANER AND A GATE AGENT. THE CABIN WAS BUSY. THE FO AND I WENT ABOUT OUR DUTIES PREPARING THE ACFT FOR THE FLT AND I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE REQUIRED CABIN CREW AGAIN UNTIL THE ACARS MESSAGE. WHEN I READ THIS MESSAGE; I TOLD THE FO WE HAD AT LEAST 3; BUT ASKED HIM TO CHK WITH THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT BEFORE REPLYING. IT WAS AT THIS POINT WE REALIZED WE WERE SHORT AND REPLIED AS SUCH. THE FLT PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT TO DFW. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 495137: WHEN THE FLT ATTENDANTS BOARDED; THE SECOND FLT ATTENDANT COMMENTED TO THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT 'OH THIS IS A -30 WE WON'T NEED A THIRD.' THE LEAD NEVER PURSUED THE MATTER AS SHE SHOULD HAVE. WE WERE INTERRUPTED NUMEROUS TIMES BY VARIOUS REQUESTS FROM THE TUG DRIVER TO HELP WITH CLRING THE AREA TO ENSURE A CLR PUSH. WE NEVER CONSIDERED THE FLT ATTENDANT CREW AS WE LET THE SYS TAKE CARE OF IT. WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED BY COMPANY THAT OUR THIRD FLT ATTENDANT WAS LATE AND WE SHOULD WAIT. WE WERE DISTR; RUSHED; AND CRM BROKE DOWN; THUS THE MISTAKE. (CRM BTWN BOTH FLT ATTENDANTS; COMPANY AND CABIN TO COCKPIT.)