64 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 50. 



forms a smooth semicircular area. The transverse striation termi- 

 nates on the ventral surface 300 /x anterior of the cloacal aperture. 

 The cloacal aperture is bounded by a very distinct anterior border. 

 There are four pairs of large sessile preanal papillae, the first pair 

 being situated anterior of the origin of the bursal alae. There are 

 six pairs of postanal papillae, of which the second and fifth pairs 

 posterior of the cloacal aperture are pedunculated. The short 

 spicules are equal or subequal, 140 fi long, and slightly curved. They 

 are only in contact at their distal extremities, forming a V inside the 

 gubernaculum ; the very small gubernaculum is triangular. 



Female 45 mm. long with a maximum thickness of 900 \i. The 

 cervical papillae are 600 jn from the anterior extremity, and the 

 excretory pore is 450 \i from the anterior extremity. The short taij 

 is 710 ju long and terminates in a small mucronation. The vulva is 

 hard to locate. It opens 2 mm. anterior of the middle of the body 

 and is a transverse slit 45 \i long, communicating with a short vagina, 

 which is continued as a tubular ovijector which extends anteriorly 

 and then turns and continues posteriorly. The uteri are divergent. 

 The relatively large subspherical eggs are 52 by 42 ju, in diameter 

 and contain an embryo when oviposited. 



Host. — CtenodacUjlus gundi. 



Location. — Small intestine. 



Locality. — Matmata, South Tunis. 



Seurat states that this species is very close to Ophiostomum mu- 

 croTiatum Eudolphi from the bat, differing in its larger size, the 

 more posterior position of the vulva, and in the dimension of the 

 eggs. He adds that this brings up the number of species in this 

 genus to two, since the other nematodes described for this genus 

 belong to other genera. Unfortunately, the type of the genus Ophi- 

 ostomum Creplin, 1839, emendation of Ophiostoma Rudolphi, 1801, 

 is also the type of the genus Cystidicola Fischer, 1798, thus eliminat- 

 ing Ophiostonbwn entirely as a generic name. He states that it is 

 related in some ways to those members of the Heterakidae with two 

 lips and with Dichylene in the Acuariidae. 



The site of infestation, the small intestine, makes it entirely 

 unlikely that this form should have a very close relationship with 

 the Acuariidae, a family of the Filarioidea, as no members of the 

 Filarioidea are known to be parasitic in the small intestine. On the 

 other hand, the relationship to the Heterakidae is so marked that I 

 have felt it necessary to include this form in that family in spite of 

 the fact that there appears to be no anal sucker in the male. Its 

 nearest generic affinities are perhaps with Daenitis., which also lacks 

 an esophageal bulb, has a mouth with two lips, and has the vulva in 

 the middle of the body, two equal spicules and a gubernaculum in 

 the male, but differs in the possession of a sucker, though the sucker, 



