NEMATODE PARASITES OF BIRDS 77 



short, directed anteriorly ; posterior branch of uterus extends to point 

 300/x from the anus, anterior branch to 300/a from the esophageal 

 bulb. Eggs 63/*, long by 35/* wide. Tail conical, elongated; anus 

 300/* from extremity. 



Life history. — Probably similar to that of H. gallmac (p. 54). 



Distribution. — South America (Brazil (Matto Grosno)). 



HETERAKIS ACUTICAUDATA (Cobbold, 1861) Travassos. 1918b 



Synonym. — Strongylus acuticaudatus Cobbold, 1861. 



Host. — Chloephaga poliocephala. 



Location. — Ceca. 



Morphology. — Head obtuse, bare. Male 12 to 19 mm. long. Tail 

 sharply pointed. Caudal alae (fig. 106) subterminal, large, each ala 

 bearing 5 ray-like papillae. Female about 12 mm. long by 333/x wide. 

 Tail (fig. 107) straight, pointed. 



Distribution. — Europe (London Zoological Garden). 



Xo further stud^y of specimens of this nematode has been made 

 since the original and unrecognizable description by Cobbold. 

 Travassos has transferred the species to the genus Heterakis, evi- 

 dently basing this transfer on the character of the male tail, and more 

 especially the preanal sucker, as figured by Cobbold. However, that 

 Cobbold's drawings may be misleading is seen in the case of Stron- 

 gylus spiculatus, described and figured by him at the same time as 

 Strongylus acuticaudatus. Both figures show the male tail of 

 Heterakis sensu stricto; however, Cobbold at a later date (1879) 

 wrote that Strongylus spiculatus was identical with his earlier species 

 Ascaris strongylina, which in more recent studies has been placed in 

 the genus Subulura. The allocation of Strongylus acuticaudatus, 

 therefore, is inadvisable except to leave it in Heterakis sensu lato. 



Genus ASCARIDIA Dujardin, 1845 



Generic diagnosis. — Heterakinae (p. 49) : Mouth with 3 lips. 

 Esophagus club-shaped, without a bulb. Two lateral membranes 

 usually present. Male with caudal alae feebly developed; spicules 

 usually equal or subequal. Gubernaculum absent. Preanal sucker 

 slightly salient, rounded, with chitinous ring; papillae relatively 

 large. Female with vulva near middle of body; uteri divergent. 

 Eggs with thick shell, with a clear granulation inside the shell at 

 one of the poles. 



Parasitic in intestine (especially the small intestine) of birds and 

 possibly of reptiles and fish. 



Type-species. — Ascaridia hermaphrodita (Froelich, 1789) Railliet 

 and Henry, 1914. 



