42 RESEARCH IN PROTOZOOLOGY 



little; others (Reticulitermes) will soon die without it. Termopsis 

 is easily kept indefinitely by placing a large group with wood or 

 cellulose in a closed container. Reticulitermes and other termites 

 can be kept in glass flasks or jars connected by tubes with flasks 

 containing water. Most termites can be kept successfully in Petri 

 dishes with filter paper as food and small pieces of cotton mois- 

 tened every few days according to the amount of moisture needed. 



The intestinal canal of the termite to be examined may be pulled 

 out after grasping with forceps the extremity of the abdomen. 

 The flagellates are for the most part localized in an expanded part 

 of the hindgut just back of the Malpighian tubules. It is possible 

 to force fluid from the intestines of some termites by pressure on 

 the abdomen, without causing serious injury to the insects. Ma- 

 terial obtained in this way, however, may not be quite representa- 

 tive of the fauna, in that certain attached forms will not be ob- 

 tained. Since the intestinal fluid is crowded with flagellates, it is 

 necessary to dilute it in order to make observations. Some flagel- 

 lates, especially hypermastigotes, are much more sensitive to the 

 medium used for dilution than are others. The proper concentra- 

 tion of the medium should be tested for the fauna of each host. 

 In my experience a salt solution of 0.55%, or Locke's solution of 

 two-thirds concentration, is favorable for the flagellates of Ter- 

 mopsis and Kalotermes. For those of Reticulitermes, which re- 

 quire a lower concentration, Powell (1928) used 0.4% salt solu- 

 tion, Koidzumi (1921) 0.3 to 0.4%. Egg albumen diluted with a 

 two-thirds concentration of Locke's solution has been used to 

 advantage. 



In most media, the flagellates can be kept alive for a few hours 

 only, and may become abnormal very quickly. Cleveland (1925) 

 devised a fluid in which Trichonympha from Termopsis lived ten 

 days or longer. The formula is: 



NaCl 0.30 gm. NaH2P04 o.ooi gm. 



CaClz 0.02 gm. NaHCOs o.oio gm. 



KCl 0.02 gm. H2O 100 cc. 



MgCl3 o.oi gm. Loeffler's blood serum ... 0.5 gm. 



"This is filtered and used immediately. Instead of the serum, 5-10 grams 

 of fresh Termopsis feces may be thoroughly shaken up in the above mix- 

 ture, and may be used with or without filtering. If filtered, a small amount 

 (1-2 gms.) of finely powdered lignocellulose is added." (Cleveland, 1925, 

 p. 284.) 



