ART. 17 PARASITES OF AMPHIBIA AND REPTILIA HAEWOOD 43 



RHABDIAS VELLARDI Pcreira, 1928 



Parasites referred to this species have been taken from the kings 

 of the following snakes : Heterodon contortrix^ Storerla dekayi, 

 Potamo'phis sfrlatulus^ and Thamnophh yroximum. Two differences 

 were noted between Pereira's description and my material, but it is 

 believed that both may be explained without the erection of a new 

 species. The measurements of the cephalic glands were found to be 

 approximately ten times as great in my material as those given by 

 Pereira, but on comparison with the figure it became at once appar- 

 ant that Pereira had misplaced the decimal. The uterus in my mate- 

 rial was often empty, and in no case did it contain as many as a 

 dozen eggs. But since the uteri are never distended, as they are in 

 Pereira's figures, I considered this difference too small for the erec- 

 tion of a new species. 



Family ASCARIDAE Cobbold, 1864 



Subfamily Ascarinae Travassos, 1913 



Genus OPHIDASCARIS Baylis, 1921 



OPHIDASCARIS sp. 



A single female nematode, which was taken from the stomach of 

 Coluber constrictor -fiaviventris^ is referred to this genus. The mouth 

 has a very different appearance from that figured by Walton (1927) 

 for Oyhidascans Idbiatoyafillosa from the same host, and therefore 

 the parasite is thought to belong to another species. A brief descrip- 

 tion of the worm is given, to aid in its later classification. 



Length, 90 mm; cuticular striations about 60/a apart, but not very 

 conspicuous. The three lips each bear two papillae. Interlabia are 

 present. The esophagus is 4.9 mm long. The nerve ring and ex- 

 cretory pore are 0.75 and 0.85 mm from the anterior end, respectively. 

 The vulva is in the posterior part of the body about 60 mm from the 

 lips. The eggs are apparently' unfertilized and measure 85/a in 

 diameter. The tail is very short and blunt. It is 0.3 mm long. 



Genus POLYDELPHIS Dujardin, 1845 



POLYDELPHIS sp. 



Two males and three females, all immature, were taken from the 

 body cavity of Coluber constrictor flavlventris. The location is very 

 unusual for a worm of this group, but as the snake had been dead for 

 24 hours before it was examined, it is possible that the parasites 

 had migrated from their typical habitat in the intestine, much after 

 the manner of Ascaris lumhricoides. These parasites could not be 



