TREMATODE GENUS BRACHYCOELIUM — BYRD 189 



shape, and position of the testes, the pattern of the uterus, and the 

 general outline of the body. 



BRACHYCOELIUM OBESUM Nicoll, 1914 



This species of fluke was described by Nicoll (1914) from the 

 intestine of the summer snake {Gontia aestiva) dying in the London 

 Zoological Gardens. The exact geographical locality from which 

 the snake came was not given in the author's paper. None of the 

 present material came from snakes, and since none of the specimens 

 show any close morphological relationship to the species, it is im- 

 possible to assign any specimens in the collection to this species. 

 There are 18 specimens in the present collection that show a closer 

 affinity to B. ohesum than to any of the other members of the genus^ 

 and these are described herein as B. ovale. 



BRACHYCOELIUM OVALE, new species 



Plate 9, Figure 1 



Eighteen specimens of this species were taken from the intes- 

 tine of the ground skink {Leiolopisma laterale) collected from the. 

 vicinity of New Orleans and Pearl River, La., and Calhoun Falls, 

 S. C. The oval outline of the body suggests the specific designation. 

 Description. — Body quite small, elongated cylindrical when ex- 

 tended, almost spherical when contracted, slightly flattened ventrally 

 but strongly arched dorsally ; 0.90 mm long when slightly flattened by 

 0.61 nun wide; widest at level of acetabulmn. Cuticle thin, about 

 twice as thick anteriorly as posteriorly, slightly thinner dorsally than 

 ventrally; armed with very fine spines to middle of posttesticular 

 region of body. Oral sucker subterminal, weakly muscular, circular 

 in outline, 0.184 mm in diameter. Acetabulum circular in outline, 

 0.09 mm in diameter, weakly muscular, lying 0.361 mm behind an- 

 terior margin of body. Ratio of sizes of oral sucker and acetabulum, 

 approximately 2 : 1. Prepharynx long enough to allow transversely 

 oval pharynx, measuring 0.037 mm long by 0.071 mm wide, to lie 

 free behind caudal boundary of oral sucker. Esophagus nonmuscular, 

 0.07 nun long. Caeca pouchlike, 0.153 mm long by 0.094 mm wide, 

 diverging almost directly laterad, lined internally by a rather low 

 epithelium. Ovary transversely oval, 0.076 mm long by 0.104 mm 

 wide, alternating from right to left side of midline, lateral to and 

 slightly in advance of acetabulum, close behind end of caecum. Ovi- 

 duct long, extending from inner margin of ovary to near midline at 

 posterior margin of acetabulum before forming ootype. Laurer's 

 canal, receptaculum seminis, and shell gland present. Uterus fairly 

 simple, greatly convoluted, descending to near posterior margin of 



