HOOKWORMS OF THE GENUS UNCINARIA OF THE DOG, 

 FOX, AND BADGER. 



B. H. Ransom, 



Assistant Custodian, Helmintliological Collections, United States National 



Museum. 



Looss in 1911 described, as a new species which he named Uncimina 

 'polaris, a hookworm from Vulpes lagopus, North America. In 

 the same paper he redescribed Unchuirm cinniformis originally re- 

 ported by Goeze in 1782 from the European badger {Meles taxiis). 

 Furthermore, he concluded that Uncinana stenocephala (Railliet) 

 whose type host is the dog in Europe is identical with U. a^inifarmts. 

 The specimens (at least 12 in number) from which U. polans was 

 described were sent to Looss by Stiles many years previously (Looss, 

 1911 p 194). The original material, Looss states (p. 213), bore the 

 number 3250 and came from the Zoological Gardens, Washington 

 D C The number 3250 evidently refers to a catalogue number of 

 the Helminthological Collection of the United States National 

 Museum, inasmuch as there are in these collections at the present 

 time, labeled with this number, numerous specimens of hookworms 

 which according to the label were collected from Vulpes Ugopus at 

 Washington, D. C, by Hassall, August, 1901. These specimens so 

 far as I have examined them are all of one species and correspond 

 closely to Looss's description of UneiomrM polaris. Undoubtedly 

 Looss's specimens came from this lot of material and unquestionably 

 the specimens now in the Museum Collections under the catalogue 

 number 3250 belong to Looss's species, Uiicinaria polaris. 



It does not appear in Looss's paper whether he actually examined 

 specimens of Uncinaria fi^om dogs before arriving at the conclusion 

 that Uncina.ria stenocephala is identical with U. cnmfoimis. Al- 

 though he states in general terms that " VixcimiTia cHniformis is 

 common in canine animals in various parts of Europe " (p. 194) and 

 that it occure " in various Canidae and Mustelidae of mid and north- 

 em Europe " (p. 213) , he does not say specifically that he has studied 

 specimens from dogs. On the other hand he refers definitely to Urv- 

 cinaria crinifonnis from Meles twx.m (p. 607) in connection with his 

 drawings (figs. 105 and 106a) of th e mouth-capsule of this species. 



No. 2533— PROCEEDINGS U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. VOL. 65. ART. 20. 



