383 



AUSTRALIAN FREE-LIVING MARINE NEMATODES. 



By N. a. Cobb, Ph.D. 

 (Read June 29tli, 1898.) 

 Anticoma, Bastian. 



4 9-6 19- '5l'^n 85- i .79 mm rr^, 



Anticoma similis, n.sp. ■r'i^ — ¥9 27 ? i^omm. rj^j^^^, 



worm resembles Anticoma acuminata, Eb., to such an extent 

 that I hesitated for some time to call it distinct. The differences 

 are as follows: — (1) porus farther forward ; (2) pectoral hairs 

 six ; (3) 03sophagus at first cylindrical and narrow then widening 

 rather suddenly behind the nerve-ring ; (4) narrower ; (5) other 

 minor differences. 



The perfectly plain cuticle bears only very short hairs. The 

 pectoral hairs are closely approximated, and are arranged in longi- 

 tudinal rows of six at a distance from the anterior extremity equal 

 to one-sixth of the distance from the anterior extremity to the some- 

 what oblique nerve-i'ing. The conoid neck terminates in a head some- 

 what rounded in front and bearing ten setae, each having a length 

 nearly equal to the depth of the pharynx, and all placed opposite 

 the middle of the pharynx. The three obscure lips are destitute 

 of papilla. The lateral organs (slits) occur near the ventral 

 excretory pore, which is as far behind the cephalic setae as the 

 latter are behind the anterior extremity. There are no eyes. 

 The wider anterior part of the conoid pharynx is four micromilli- 

 metres deep; thence the pharynx tapers more rapidly and ceases 

 at eight micromillim^tres. The brownish and rather thin-walled 

 intestine is composed of cells of such a size that about ten 

 of them are required to build a circumference ; the numerous 

 granules contained in these cells are so arranged as to give rise to 



