SPOROZOA OF THE FISHES OF THE ST. ANDREW'S REGION 29 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 39b 



Their exact length in the spore of the parasite from Urophcxis chuss was not meas- 

 ured. Their extreme fineness and great length make this very difficult except in 

 very favorable preparations. This was, however, done in the case of the 

 parasite of Zoarces angularis (PI. IV, Fig. 9) where they were found to measure 

 250-300 /i or about six times the width of the spore exclusive of the filaments. 

 The cavity of the valves does not appear to extend into the filaments. The length 

 of these filaments is greater both relatively to the width of the spore and absolutely, 

 than the length recorded for the lateral filaments of any other species of Ceratomyxa. 

 Long filaments are most common in the two genera Ceratomyxa and Henneguya. 

 It is generally believed' that the filamentous appendages of Myxosporidian spores 

 function in aiding the distribution of the spores by retarding the rate at which 

 they sink and by rendering them more easily carried by currents. 



The polar capsules (Fig. 1, cps. pol.) are almost spherical and lie close together 

 at the anterior end of the spore. They are so oriented that the polar filaments 

 when extruded cross each other (PI. IV, Fig. 14). The extrusion of the polar 

 filaments was effected by concentrated sulphuric acid but was not brought about 

 by a solution of iodine in potassic iodide or by ammonia water. The failure of 

 these two reagents may have been due to the spores not having been ripe. When 

 extruded the filaments appear as very fine threads of uniform thickness. 



The sporoplasm as seen in fixed and stained preparations is eccentrically 

 placed, being in one valve, and contains, in all the spores examined from the gall 

 bladder two compact darkly staining nuclei. 

 The dimensions of a typical spore are: 



Length =sutural axis 7-8 n 



Width =bivalve axis 40-50 ^ 



Diameter of polar capsule 3-4 jlc 



Length of lateral filaments 205-300 ju 



Length of extruded polar filaments 70 fi 



Triradiate spores are of frequent occurrence. These spores may show a 

 fairly regular radial symmetry, both as regards the valves and the polar capsules 

 (PI. IV, Fig. 16) or one of the valves may be smaller than the other two while the 

 three polar capsules are of equal size and symmetrically arranged (PI. IV, Fig. 

 15). Cases where a triradiate spore and a normal spore were developing in the 

 same myxosporidium were found (PL IV, Fig. 12) as were also cases where two 

 triradiate spores were developing together. 



Ceratomyxa acadiensis has been found in three hosts and perhaps in a fourth 

 from the coast of New Brunswick, Canada. In the gall bladder of Urophycis 

 chuss, the hake, it is usually found attached to an undetermined parasite, probably 

 a species of Myxidium or Chloromyxum which is itself attached to the gall bladder. 

 Nine out of ten U. chuss examined for the parasite were found to be infected. 

 In the gall bladder of Zoarces angularis, the eel pout, C. acadiensis was not found 

 attached although the modification of the anterior end for attachment was found. 

 Each of the eight Zoarces angularis examined for the parasite was found to be in- 

 fected. In the gall bladder of Pseudopleuronectes americanus, the winter flounder, 

 no evidence of attachment was seen, vegetative forms were found relatively abun- 



