BY VERA IRWIX-SMITH. 



495 



Kxefft had already, in 1871, mentioned the oceurrence of a Physaloptera sp. 

 in Cyclodus {Tiliqua) gigac, but did not describe or name it. T. H. Johnston, 

 taking the Austrahisian zooj^eographical region in its wider sense, to include 

 the East Indies, included Krefft's record in his "Census of Australian Reptilian 

 Entozoa" (1912), and also three species collected by Dr. Willey in the Western 

 Pacific Isles, and identified by Shipley (1900) as Physaloptera obtusissima, P. 

 retusa, and P. varaiii. The two former were found in the intestine of a snake, 

 Dipsadomnrphuii irregularis, the latter in the stomach of Varanus indicus. It 

 was described originally from specimens taken from the stomach of Varanus 

 hengalensis at Palon, Pegu, in South Burma, but ha.s since proved to be widely 

 distributed, extending as far as Northern Africa ; and Johnston has indicated 

 its probable occurrence on the mainland of Australia. In 1909 he wrote "I 

 have seen Varanus indicus near Gladstone in Queensland, and hence it may be 

 expected that before long . . . Physaloptera varani . . . may be added to our 

 known Australasian entozoan fauna.'' In the same paper (1909a) he records 

 "a few specimens of a Nematode. Physaloptera sp., perhaps P. varani Parona" 

 as found, in addition to a Cestode, in the stomach of Varanus variits, the 

 common tree "goanna," obtained near Bathurst, N.S.W. ; and later (1912a) 

 records the same species from Varanus gouldii, the sand "goanna," collected in 

 Queensland. Western Australia, Victoria, ajid New South Wales, and from 

 Varantis bellii collected at Eidsvold, Burnett River, Queensland (19126). In 

 the Census of Endoparasites in Queensland (1916) the same species is again 

 referred to as found in these three species of Varan^ts. 



These records are not accompanied by figures or descriptions, and in every 

 case they are queried. Dr. Johnston stating that he had not yet seen a descrip- 

 tion of P. varani, and consequently could not identify it with certainty. 



All the other Australian records consist of the mere mention of unidentified 

 species of Physaloptera found in various hosts of the orders Lacertilia and 

 Ophidia. They relate chiefly to a series of exhibits made by Dr. Johnston in 

 1909 and 1910, before the Royal Society of N.S.W., and this Society, of 

 specimens taken from the brown snake, tiger snake, and whip snake, and from 

 the blue-tongued lizard (Tiliqua scincoides), tree goanna, slow worm (Lialis 

 burtonii) and Lygosoma (Hinulia) tenue, all from New South Wales. There 

 is, in addition, another record by Krefift (1871) of a Physaloptera sp. from 

 Diemenia reticulata. He does not give the locality from which they were 

 taken, but according to Dr. Johnston, who says he had inspected Krefft's 

 material, and similar specimens collected by Dr. Cleland in the North West, the 

 parasites from this "spinifex snake'' came from Western Australia. 



From the above records, it will be seen that, up to the present time, re- 

 presentatives of the genus in Australia have been recorded, in Ophidia, from three 

 species of Diemenia, and from one species each of Acanthophis, Dipsadomorphus 

 and Notechis; and. in Lacertilia, from four species of ]'araiiu.-i. three species of 

 Tiliqua. and one species each of Lygosoma and Lialis. 



But tlie vagueness of the records is evidence of the difficulty experienced by 

 workers in getting access to tlie literature which would make specific identifica- 

 tions possible. 



In the collection of para.sitic Helminths made for the Bureau of Microbiology 

 of New South Wales by Dr. .1. B. Cleland over a period of ten years, there 

 are numerous Nematodes from our native fauna. Through the kin<lness of Dr. 

 Cleland I have had the opportunity of examining that part of it taken from 

 reptiles, and find it to consist in large proportion of Physaloptera. The labels 

 on the phials indicate that the hosts among Lacertilia were Lialis burtonii, . 



