BY T. HARVEY JOHNSTON, M. A., DSC. 81 



The specimens had become dried up and are therefore 

 of little value. The description given below is lacking 

 in man}^ details, but should allow the recognition of the 

 species in the future. 



The length of the male is about 8-5 mm., and of the 

 female 8 to 9 mm. The breadth of each is about 11 mm. 

 The cuticle is finely striated transversely. The head 

 end has suffered in drAdng. Neither lips nor papillae are 

 recognisable on the rounded anterior extremity, which is 

 slightly . wollen when compared with the succeeding neck 

 region. The posterior end of the female is sharp -pointed, 

 the anus and the genital aperture lying at -194 mm. and 

 -32 mm. distant, respectively, from the extremity. The 

 cloaca in the male lies at 08 mm. from the tail end, which 

 is spirally curved and is shorter than the female tail. No 

 male papillap were discernible. 



A small mouth cavitv is present. Surrounding the 

 pharynx at a distance of -195 mm. from the anterior end? 

 is the nerve ring. 



Larval nematodes in fleas. 

 (PI. HI : Figs. 12, 13). 



As a result of examining a large series of rat fleas, 

 as mentioned earlier, the presence of small coiled nematode 

 larvae, Agamonema sp., was detected in a goodly number 

 of Xenopsylla cheopis, and — on only one occasion — 

 Ceratophyllus fasciotus, all the parasitised fleas coming 

 from Sydney and district. As far as I am aware, the 

 presence of larval nematodes in fleas, has not been recorded. 

 Usually, there was only one present, but sometimes two, 

 three or four, while on one occasion, no less than six of 

 "^hem were present in the body cavity of a male X. cheopis 

 When compared with the size of the host, these larva^e 

 are quite large as a glance at Fig. 12 will indicate. 



In nearly every instance the parasite was closely, 

 usually spirally, coiled and therefore very dilHcult to 

 examine. Sometimes a relatively thick cyst enclosed it. 

 Owing to their transparency, their presence is not detected 

 unless the bodies of the fleas be either carefully teased up 

 and examined in saline or other solution with a minimum 

 amount of light, or the hosts be cleared and examined , 

 very little light being allowed to pass through them. They 



