Type genus, Microcotyle Beneden and Hesse, 1863. 



In addition to the type genus, into the connposition of the fannily 

 enter Gotocotyle Ishii, 1936 (?); Microcotyloides Fujii, 1944; Gonoplasius 

 Sandars, 1944; Diplasiocotyle Sandars, 1944; Pyragraphorus Sproston, p. 439 



1946; Cemocotyle Sproston, 1946; Axine, Abildgaard, 1794; Neoaxine 

 Price, 1945; Axinoides Yamaguti, 1938; Heteraxine Yamaguti, 1938; 

 Lintaxine Sproston, 1946; Metanriicrocotyle Yamaguti, 1953; Heteromicro - 

 cotyle Yamaguti, 1953. Price (Price, 1936) also places Bicotylophora 

 Price, 1936 here. 1 



_ 



Pterinotrema Caballero, Bravo-HoUis and Grocott, 1954, is also 

 ascribed by the authors to this family. We cannot say how correct this 

 is because we do not have the description of this genus in our hands. 



First of all, it is indispensable to note that the type and most 

 numerous genus, Microcotyle --as well as Gotocotyle are artificial, uniting 

 at the present time not only representatives of different only partially de- 

 scribed genera but possibly also representatives of a neighboring family, 

 Gastrocotylidae. The reasons for this lie in the very inaccurate description 

 of the attaching armature of the species under consideration, and this is 

 true not only of authors of the past and the beginning of this century but 

 also of a number of contemporaries. Because of this, it is indispensable to 

 make a partially complete re-examination of all the species described to 

 the present time. Unfortunately we do not possess sufficient material at 

 the present time and because of this we are forced to retain the genera 

 Microcotyle and Gotocotyle in their contemporary scope and can only indi- 

 cate certain basic lines along which differentiation proceeds. As an 

 example of the incorrect inclusion into the genus Gotocotyle of a species 

 which clearly does not belong here, one can cite G. acanthura (Parona and 

 Perugia, 1896) from the gills of Brama raii (L,. ) which was discovered by 

 us during the study of Mediterranean fishes in the region of Naples. During 

 verification, this species was found to have a structure typical for the genus 

 Lithidocotyle Sproston, 1946 (Family Gastrocotylidae- -see page 445 ), and 

 henceforth should be renanned L. acanthura (Parona and Perugia, 1896) 

 Bychowsky, comb. nov. The type species of Microcotyle, M. donavini 

 Beneden and Hesse, 1863, is characterized by the symmetrical structure 

 of the disc which is delimited from the body of the animal. With this, in 

 adult animals the disc never extends anteriorly beyond the level of the 

 posterior testes. Judging by the data of Sproston (Sproston, 1946), it is 

 characteristic that the chitinous hooked armature, absent during adult 

 forms, disappears (is sloughed off), apparently during relatively late 

 stages of development. Thus, Sproston observed the presence of hooks 

 among individuals already having 12 pairs of clamps (see page 214 ). As 

 regards the clamps, they are of typical discocotylid structure and are 



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