PARASITES OF GALVESTON BAY FISHES CHANDLER 135 



My specimens were found in three of five specimens of Galeichthys 

 felis taken at Evergreen Beach in Galveston Bay and in two of three 

 specimens taken in the Gulf of Mexico near Bolivar Point, Galveston. 

 Similar larvae were found in several specimens of Bagre tiuirlna. 

 In most instances the parasites were present in moderate numbers, 

 from 8 or 10 to 30 or 40, attached to the cystic duct, free in the gall 

 bladder, or free in the chyle of the intestine. While living they were 

 extremely active, extending to a length of 6 to 8 mm and becoming as 

 slender as a thread, with a slight enlargement just behind the head, 

 and contracting down to less than 1 mm in length. There was a very 

 marked tendency, when the worms contracted slightly from a fully 

 extended condition, for the body to bulge conspicuously just behind 

 the head. After fixation the worms contracted to a length of 2 to 

 4.5 mm, with a maximum diameter behind the head varying from 0.1 

 to 0.6 mm. Across the widest region of the bothria the head meas- 

 ures 0.4 to 0.65 mm. The bothria are 0.23 to 0.3 mm long and about 

 half as wide. The apical sucker, or " myzorhynclius ", is flat anteri- 

 orly and rounded posteriorly, about as long as Avide, and about 0.07 

 mm in diameter. 



Family PROTEOCEPHALIDAE La Rue, 1911 



PROTEOCEPHALUS AUSTRALIS. new species 

 Plate 9, Figures 3-6 



Specl-jic diagnosis. — Total length 20 to 38 cm, with maximum 

 diameter of about 1 mm when relaxed, but up to 1.8 mm in contracted 

 regions. Head not clearly demarcated from strobila; maximum di- 

 ameter, shortly behind suckers, about 780/a (pi. 9, fig. 6). Suckers 

 face anterolaterally and are about 285;^ in diameter Avithout deep 

 grooves between them. Anterior end with vestigial sucker. Segmen- 

 tation begins immediately behind scolex. Narrowest part of neck 

 about 665//, broad. Proglottids in various regions of strobila with 

 measurements in millimeters as follows : 



Lcnrjth Breadth 



5 mm from anterior end 0. 045 0. 75 



10 mm from anterior end 0. 1 0. 77 



25 mm from anterior end 0. 3 1 



00 mm from anterior end 0.7 1.33 



75 mm from anterior end 1. 2 1. 8 



lOO mm from anterior end 2 0. 75 



Longest proglottid 2. 65 1 



In relaxed condition all proglottids over 100 mm from anterior end 

 longer than broad. Posterior segments split on mid- ventral line, and 

 with tendency to pull apart at junctions, remaining attached only at 

 lateral margins, leaving fenestrae between them. Calcareous gran- 

 ules very numerous, angular in outline, and about 5/a in diameter. 



