210 



BULLETIN 140, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



cavity short; esophagus 1/8 to 1/9 the total body length, clearly 

 divided into a colorless muscular region, encircled by a large nerve 

 ring, and a glandular region. 



Male 5.3 mm. long; posterior region curved crosswise. Tail short 

 (80/*), massive, digitiform, rounded, and bare at its extremity; no 

 caudal alae. Posterior lip of cloacal aperture salient,, with a pair 

 of postanal papillae directly posterior to it. Spicules very unequal, 

 480 and 155/x long. 



Female 6.8 mm. long. Tail short (75^), massive, digitiform, 

 provided at each side with 2 small lateral knobs or buttons. Vulva 

 with anterior lip prominent, situated directly anterior to end of 



Fig. 277.- 



PlOSMIDOCERA AEROPIULA. a, HEAD ; b, MALE; C, MALE TAIL; d, 

 FEMALE TAIL. AFTER S'kRJAB£N, 1916 



esophagus ; ovejector rectilinear, directed posteriorly. Uteri parallel 

 for almost 1/2 their length, then divergent. No mature eggs. 



Life history. — Unknown. 



Distribution. — Africa ( Algeria ) . 



Family ACUARIIDAE Seurat, 1913a 



Family diagnosis. — Spiruroidea (p. 162) : Lips triangular, not 

 expanded. Anterior extremity of body with ornamentations on the 

 cuticle. Esophagus long, its anterior part differentiated into a 

 pharynx. Male with caudal alae. 



Parasitic in the digestive tract of birds. 



Type- genus. — Acuaria Bremser, 1811. 



