INTESTINAL PROTOZOA OF TERMITES. 1 79 



When digested wood (humus) is fed defaunated termites, they do not 



die ................................................... 200 



Table III : i various attempts to prevent the death of the 



defaunated termites .................................... 201 



INTRODUCTION*. 



The mo-t unusual and peculiarly interesting faunal association 

 known to para-itolo-v i- that represented by the teemin- mena- 

 gerie of inte-tinal pmto/oa harbored by termites. These pro- 

 tozoa are favorite objects for study and have attracted the at- 

 tention "i many in\ ' -! u ators. The initial microscopic \ iew ot 

 thou-aiid- of these organisms, but recently removed from the 

 termite's inte-tine, wrinkling, undulating, and twi-iin^ in a dmp 

 Intion. ne\er tails to till the observer with enthusiasm, 

 and brin^ forth volleys of questions. Perhaps the tir-t thin_ 

 atti i-ntion i- the abundance, both in form and number, ot 



jiroto/o.i pn-eiit in a single host. The large abdomen is alnio-i 

 . ompletely tilled by the greatly distended intestine, the lumen of 

 which i cd by a vast horde of protozoa. 



The protozoa of the termites, for the most part, differ 

 eraMy from those found in other animals, and this 



:ioi fail to attract the attention of a proto/oolo-i-t . Their 

 mo-t di-iiiH live features are: the ingestion of solid particle- of 

 \\ ..... 1 for food; the diversity of organization among the \arioii- 

 form-; tin- degree of structural specialization ' attained by many 

 of tin -, resulting in the formation of the nio-i com|le\ 



il ^ell.iie oi-.iiielles yet known. 



No observer lias ever failed to raise the question of the relation 

 of the proto/,,,1 to their host, but most investigator- in the p 

 ha\e regard* d the protozoa either as true parasites or commen-al-. 

 though, in almost every instance, no proof whate\er i- oft. 

 in support of either contention. 



At piv-eiit no termite of the most highly >pe iali/cd family, 

 the Termitid Metatermitida? Holmgren , i- known to harbor 

 inte-tinal pmto/oa; but all the genera and species of the oilier 

 familie-. Kalotermitida? (Pretermit ida- Holmgren . Khinoter- 

 mitid.r , Me-oiermitida? Holmgren) and Ma-tot, rmitida-, that 

 have been examined 2 have been found to harbor enormous 



1 N Lilly tin- papers of Kofoid ami S\\v/y (iQig >in the iu.-un>- 

 niotnr -y-ti-i: :mf>iniula and Triiltniitu<; tfrmit. 



2 See tin- lu-t papri ni tl, latioii l>rt\vr<-n tin- I-' ..... 1 and Mor- 



