162 BULLETIN 140, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



same as in male. Vulva on a slight prominence. 8 mm. from anterior 

 extremity, or at about the anterior third of the body. Vagina short 

 (120/a), straight, opening into a muscular sinuous oviduct about 2 

 mm. long. Oviduct bifurcates to form two posteriorly directed 

 uteri. (Anus 300/*. from posterior end of body, which is conical with 

 a terminal spike 10/i long. Eggs G8/a by 45/i, with thin shells. 



Life history. — Unknown. 



Distribution. — Hawaii, Lisianski Island. 



Suborder Spirurata Railliet and Henry, 1915 



Synonym. — Filariata Skrjabin, 1915, in part. 



Suborder diagnosis. — Myosyringata (p. 4.) : Body usually long 

 and slender. Mouth with 2 lips or a larger number of lips or lobes 

 capable of resolution into 2 basic lips, or without lips and surrounded 

 by papillae or, occasionally, with other cephalic structures than lips 

 or papillae. Esophagus slender, without posterior bulb. Male with 

 1 or 2 spicules. Tail usually provided with papillae, usually curved 

 sjDirally, caudal alae present or absent or a closed muscular, bell- 

 shaped " bursal cup " present. Female larger than male, rarely sex- 

 ually dimorphic (Tetrameridae). Anus subterminal or occasionally 

 terminal. Vulva present or, less often, absent in gravid females, its 

 position variable (anterior of middle of body, near middle or some- 

 times near or at posterior extremity). Two, four, or more uteri, 

 rarely only one. Oviparous, viviparous, or ovoviviparous. Hete- 

 loxenous, the larval stages occurring in various intermediate hosts. 



KEY TO SUrERFAMILIES OF SPIKIRATA 



1. Male with closed muscular bursal cup at tail end; female with anus terminal. 



Dioctophymoidea, p. 366. 

 Male without bursal cup of above description ; anus of female subterminal- 2. 



2. Mouth without lips ; vulva near anterior extremity of body ; adults parasitic 



subcutaneously, in blood or on serous surfaces (not discussed in this paper). 



Filarioidea. 



Mouth with lips, or, rarely without lips; position of vulva variable; parasitic 



usually in digestive tract, occasionally in orbital region or respiratory 



tract, or as larvae subcutaneously Spiruroidea, p- 162. 



Superfamily SPIRUROIDEA Railliet and Henry, 1915 



Swperfamily diagnosis. — Spirurata (p. 162) : Mouth with 2 lips or 

 a larger number of lips or lobes capable of resolution into 2 basic 

 lips ; or, more rarely, without lips. Male with caudal extremity com- 

 monly expanded and alate. Female with vulva usually in middle 

 portion of body, occasionally near anterior or posterior extremity. 



Intermediate host usually not biting arthropods (exception, Hab- 

 ronema majus in Stomoxys). 



Type-family. — Spiruridae Oerley, 1886. 



