190 PARASITIC PROTOZOA FOUND IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



been found in preparations of the kidney of a Dcnte.x argyrozonu 

 from False Bay. 



Another specimen of Dentcx argyrozona and one of Dcntex 

 riipestris from the same area contained examples of the genus 

 Lcntospora in their blood and on their grills. 



A species of Lcptotheca has been found by me in the bile of 

 Clinns superciliosHS, Cliniis taunts, Clinus cottoides and Dcntex 

 argyroaona from False Bay. Both trophozoites and spores have 

 been observed, the spores resembling those of Lcptotheca agilis, 

 but some were larger, being 6/a long and i8ju, broad. The 

 infected bile was slightly turbid and varied from yellowish-green 

 to yellow in colour. 



A possible Microsporidian has been briefly described by 

 Gilchrist (" Nature," Oct. 3, 1918, pp. 99-100) from the muscles 

 of snoek, Thyrsitcs atiin, off the Cape coast, in so-called soft or 

 '■' pappy " specimens. I have seen preparations of the parasite, 

 and there is evidence of a cyst wall or sporocyst around the 

 groups of four " spore-like bodies " mentioned by the author. 

 The parasites are distributed in the muscles of the snoek, and 

 an examination of " pappy " snoek for Myxosporidia was sug- 

 gested to him by my remarks on page 239 of the work, " Some 

 Minute Animal Parasites," by Fant'ham and Porter (1914) 

 regarding a Chlorornyxum in " milky Barracoutta " in Australia. 

 Th'i snoek arid the 'Barracoutta are either the same or closely 

 allied fish. I consider that the parasite in the snoek is not a 

 Microsporidian but a species of Chlorornyxum, such as C. 

 quadratiim. (Since writing this paper, I understand that further 

 fresh material has been examined by Dr. Gilchrist, and will be 

 described by him.) 



CiLiATA. — In 1918 I recorded the presence of a species of 

 Trichodina on the gills of klip fish, Clinus taurus and C. super- 

 ciliosus and the bamboo fish. Box salpa. New hosts for this 

 Trichodina are Clinus capensis, C. cottoides and Pristopoma 

 bennettii, obtained near St. James. 



Balantidium coli has been found by me in the caicum and 

 colon of three pigs in the Pretoria district. The active ciliate 

 forms were fairly numerous, and caused small ulcers in the 

 c?ecum and less frequently in the colon. Some evidence of multi- 

 plication by transverse division was observed. Resistant cysts of 

 the organism were present. These, when voided with the faces 

 of the pig, swerve as a means of transference of the parasite to 

 another pig or to man, in whom balantidian dysentery may be 

 produced. Balantidium coli is usually stated to be non-pathogenic 

 to pigs, but my observations show that it can be i)athogenic even 

 in the pig, especially when the host is in poor condition, as in 

 the cases examined. 



Balantidium cnto::odn has been found in the rectum of the 

 Amphibian, Xenopus Iccvis in the Transvaal. Nyctotherus cordi- 

 formis also occurs in the rectum of both the adult and the tad- 

 pole of Xenopus Iccvis obtained near Johannesburg. 



