164 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. XXII, 192 i.] 



the rat-snake, together with an encysted specimen from the l)ody- 

 cavity of the cobra. Here again the presence of encysted speci- 

 mens in the snake points to a single host. 



Poiocephalus kachugensis, .Shipley. 



From the liver of Bafagur baska. 



I have made a careful examination of these specimens, and, 

 by the courtesy of the authorities of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, 

 I have also had an opportunity of examining the type specimens 

 from Kachitfia lineata. I am therefore able to add the following 

 particulars to the original description. 



1. The mouth is rounded and slightly narrowed anteriorly. 



2. Stomata are numerous and scattered irregularly over the 

 whole surface of the bod}". 



3. One specimen (presumably a male) had an anterior genital 

 aperture. 



4. The annulations, according to Shipley, were confined to 

 the ventral surface, but I find that, though partially obliterated, 

 they are in many places visible the whole way round the body. 

 They are more conspicuous on the ventral surface owing to the 

 presence in that region of the fine chitinous rods mentioned by 

 Shipley, but the whole body is clearly annulated as in the majority 

 of Pentastomids. 



I am inclined to think that this is the larval form of Poro- 

 cephalus me^acephalus, Baird, with which it agrees in shape and 

 number of rings. In his species the annulations were faintly 

 marked on the dorsal surface, and the ventral surface was flattened 

 and wrinkled. Length 20—25 nim , breadth of head 8 — 10 mm , 

 body diminishing rapidly in size towards the tail. In B. kachu- 

 gensis the length of body is from g — 12 mm. and breadth of cephalo- 

 thorax about 4 mm. These proportions resemble those of P. 

 mcgacephalus , the difterence in size being easily explained liy 

 difference in age. In P. kachugensis the hooks are markedly 

 double, while those of P. megacephahis are single, but larval forms 

 frequently have double hooks which are shed at metamorphosis 

 and replaced by single ones in the adult. 



The host of P. inegacephalus is the Soonderbund crocodile, 

 Crocodilus palustris, while P. kachugensis has been found in the 

 mud-turtles Kachuga lineata and Batagur baska, all from the same 

 zoo-geographical region. 



Baird described the male P. mcgacephalus as larger than the 

 female, and as possessing a posterior genital aperture. I have 

 examined Baird's specimens in the British Museum, and have 

 little doubt that his statements were based on a misconception of 

 the true relations of the organs. P. kachugensis certainly has an 

 anterior genital aperture in the male. 



