AUT. 17 PARASITES OF AMPHIBIA AND EEPTILIA HARWOOD 63 



of the egg coverings are colorless. The eggs measure 67jui to 72/i by 

 25/i to Mix. 



Host. — Ghelydra serpentina. 



Habitat. — Rectum. 



Locality. — Houston, Tex. 



Type specimen.— v. ^:^M. Helm. Coll. No. 31709. 



Remarks. — The foregoing description is based on two female speci- 

 mens taken from the common snapping turtle. It seems to be 

 remarkably similar to CapiUaria recurva Solger, 1877, from the 

 American crocodile. Both parasites are from reptilian hosts that 

 inhabit fresh waters, but differences appear that make specific iden- 

 tity seem unlikely. G. chelydrae is only one-fifth as large and has a 

 colorless intestine and o^gg covering, whereas in C. recurva the in- 

 testine is yellowish to dark brown and the eggs are also colored. 

 Furthermore, Solger does not mention any peculiar mottling of the 

 esophagus. 



CAPILLARIA HETERODONTIS, new species 



Plate 5, Figures 11-13 



Spec'ffiG diagnosis. — CapiUaria: A very slender, white nematode, 

 with a smooth cuticula. The length of the male varies from 16.5 to 

 22.5 mm, and the maximum width from 45/x to 80/x. The esophagus 

 is 7 to 11.5 mm long and does not show any very exact correlatioai 

 with the total length. The posterior end bears a small bursalike ex- 

 pansion of the cuticula, which is supported by a short sharp tail on 

 the dorsal side. The spicule is 2.55 to 3.25 mm long and blunt at 

 the tip. The spicule sheath is without spines, and therefore this 

 worm belongs to the subgenus CapiUaria (Zeder) Travassos. 



Length of the female varies from 24 to 26 mm, the width from 

 lOOjLi to llSju. The esophagus measures from 7.4 to 8.4 mm in length. 

 The anus is subterminal, and the body ends bluntly. A rectum 0.35 

 to 0.8 mm long shows plainly. The vulva is 0.12 to 0.18 mm posterior 

 to the end of the esophagus. The eggs are typical for the genus and 

 seem to be inclosed in two shells with a plug at each end. The outer 

 shell is thin but smooth. They measure 45/^ to 55/i long by 25/li to 30/< 

 wide. 



Host. — Heterodon contortrix. 



Hahitat. — Rectum. 



Locality. — Houston, Tex. 



Type specimen.—V.^.'^.M. Helm. Coll. No. 31710. 



Remarks. — This species is easily distinguished from the other two 

 species of CapiUaria from North American reptiles by its size and 

 by the shape of the caudal end of the female. The males of the other 

 two species are unknown. 



