56 EXTOZOA OF RATS AND MICE. 



Darainea sp. 

 1 have received recently a .specimen of a Darainea 

 collected in Brisl)ane by Miss B. B. Taylor from Epimys 

 norvegiciis. this constituting the first record of the 

 occurrence of the genus in any ]\[urid in Australia. 



Heligmosomutn brazil ien-if Travassos. 

 (Figures 1-9.) 



In 1909 I drew attention to the occasional presence of 

 tiny retldish coiled nematodes in the upi^er part of the 

 duodenum of the brown rat ( Ejnmys norvegicus) in Sydney, 

 mentioning that they produced anaemia if abundant (J. 

 1909a, p. 590: 19106, p. 81). The parasite was identified 

 rather casually as Oesophagostomum. owing to the presence 

 of cephalic expansions. These, however, are purely 

 cuticular. the mouth region being of the Trichostrongyle 

 type. In 1914 Travassos gave a short unfigured account 

 (1914. }). 6) of a new parasite Heligmosomum braziliense 

 from the small intestine of Mus decumanus from Rio de 

 Janeiro. Brazil. His account has been translated by Hall 

 (1910. p. 154). There is no doubt as to the identity of the 

 Avorms from Sydney and Rio de Janeiro. I have recently 

 received a number of specimens of the same species collected 

 in Brisbane (1918) h\ Miss B. B. Taylor — also from the 

 brown rat. The knoAvn di.stribution is thus Rio de Janeiro, 

 Sydney antl Brisbane. 



H. braziliense appears to be rather uncommon in the 

 two Australian capitals. It was met with on only a few 

 occasions in Sydney though some hundreds of brown 

 rats were dissected. 



The parasite, when present, generally occurs in enormous 

 numbers in the blood-stained duodenal contents of the host. 

 It sets u]! serious constitutional disturbance, partly through 

 the loss of blood caused and partly- no doubt on account 

 of some toxin actually added to the blood. The super- 

 ficial vessels of some of the viscera and especially those 

 of the peritoneum becomt inflamed and the general appear- 

 ance of the body cavity i.s very uiuch like that caused by 

 plague (see plate — McCoy I910rt). 



The parasite is normally coiled in a rather close spiral, 

 the worms not straightening e\'en when killed with hot 



