2 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol,. XIX, 



described previously a species P. dipsadormorphi from a snake (lo). 

 The genus Phyllohothrium usually infests fish-hosts, but the follow- 

 ing four species have been described from other animals or without 

 identification of the host, 



1. P. dipsadormorphi from the '^Malagea" snake — Dipsa- 



dormorphus irregularis. 



2. P. delphini from the Dolphin — Delphinus tursio. 



3. P, inchoatum from the whale — Mesoplodon sowerhiensis. 



4. ? P. crispatissima and P. variahile. Hosts unknown. 



The total number of species recorded up till now is 20, 

 Our collection comprises five species only (viz, P. blakei, P. 

 pammicrum P. folialum, P. lactuca. P. coinpacta), and represents 

 all the known Indian species except P. minutum. 



A point worthy of note in connection with the general ana- 

 tomy of the genus is the presence of supplemental discs on the 

 bothridia in some of the species and their absence in the others. 

 Until the anatomy of the genera closely allied to Phyllohothrium 

 has been more fully worked out, it is impossible to discuss the 

 exact relationships of the genus, though it is probable that an 

 elucidation of the anatomy of species belonging to the closely allied 

 genera may necessitate a new grouping of the species. 



Pyllobothrium lactuca, Van Beneden. 

 (Plate I, fig. T,) 



Five specimens from the spiral valve of Galeocerdo tigrinis, 

 Miill. and Henle, Ceylon Pearl Banks, December 1910. 



Van Beneden' s account (i) of the anatomy of this species is 

 somewhat meagre. A further account has recently been given by 

 Yoshida (15) which also is incomplete. Johnstone (4) suggests 

 that Van Beneden's figure of this species was drawn from a speci- 

 men in which the bothridia had undergone extreme contraction, the 

 head as a result having assumed a spherical appearance and conse- 

 quently presenting very little indication of the true shape of the 

 bothridia. Johnstone's figure of the head of P. lactuca conse- 

 quently differs somewhat from Van Beneden's figure of the same 

 species. 



The worm was recorded from the Ceylon Pearl Banks by 

 Shipley and Hornell (11), who obtained it from the intestine of 

 Trygon walga. These authors state that their specimens resemble 

 Van Beneden's figure except that the four bothridia are more distinct. 

 The voluminous head of P. lactuca naturally presents different 

 appearances according to the condition of preservation. Our speci- 

 mens resemble the figure given by Van Beneden in having the 

 head compact and somewhat rounded in shape, though the four 

 bothridia are quite separate. 



The specimens, which were preserved in spirit, measure 12 cms., 

 15 cms,, 16 cms,, 17-5 cms., and 24 cms,, respectively. No mea- 

 surements of the living worms were taken, but very considerable 



