THREE NEW PARASITIC NEMATODE WORMS 



By Mary Scott Skinker 



Junior Zoologist, Zoological Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, United 

 States Department of Agriculture 



The nematodes described in this paper are from three sources. The 

 first one, a species of Metabronema^ is from a fish host and was col- 

 lected by Mrs, M. Q. Bowman, of the Amory-Smithsonian expedi- 

 tion, from the region of the Matamek River, Province of Quebec,. 

 Canada. The specimens of Passalurus were collected by R. G. Meader,. 

 of Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y. Those designated as Metathe- 

 lazia were collected by Dr. M. C. Hall and Dr. Eloise B. Cram, of the 

 zoological division, from viscera forwarded to the Bureau of Animal 

 Industry by F. W. Koehler, of the Bureau of Biological Survey. 



Family SPIRURIDAE Oerley, 1855 

 Subfamily SPIRURINAE Railliet, 1915 



METABRONEMA CANADENSE, new species 

 FiGUEES 1 TO 6 



SpecifiG diagnosis. — Metahronema: The head measures SS^a to 40/* 

 in diameter. Oral aperture simple. The esophagus varies in length 

 from 2.135 mm. to 2.8 mm. Transverse cuticular striations are con- 

 spicuous in the anterior fifth of the body, the distance between them 

 being about 5/x. The nerve ring is situated near the anterior end of 

 the esophagus, about 60/x from the posterior end of the vestibule. 

 Cervical papillae were not observed. 



Male., 5.8 mm. to 7.1 mm. in length with a maximum diameter of 

 205JU. The anterior portion of the esophagus is 900/x to 960/^ long; 

 the posterior portion is about 1.27 mm. long. The tail is spirally 

 coiled, making two or three complete coils. Caudal alae are con- 

 spicuous and are provided with four pairs of pedunculated preanal 

 papillae, the posterior pair being located close to the cloacal opening. 

 The spicules are unequal, the right one 330)Lt long, the left 115/i long. 



Female., 9.5 mm. to 10.4 mm. long, with a diameter at the vulva of 

 about 150/x. The anterior portion of the esophagus is about 800/i 

 long, the posterior portion about 2 mm. long. The vulva is located 



No. 2890.— Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 79. Art. 24. 



66543—31 1 



