OPALINID CILIATE INFUSORIANS — METCALF 475 



PROTOOPALINA NYANZA Lavler 



Host: Varanus niloticus Linnaeus, from the shores of Lake Victoria 

 Nyanza. This is probably an adventitious, temporary infection due 

 to the host having eaten the natural, anuran host. It is unlikely that 



Figure 28.—Protoopalina meridionalis Fantham and Robertson: o, X 350; 6, three nuclei, X 400. (After 



Fantham.) 



a lizard would have aquatic breeding and feeding habits that would 

 allow propagation of its opalinid parasites, at least without an inter- 

 mediate host. 



Lavier gives no drawings. The chief points on his description are 

 as follows: Elongated, circular in cross section or some individuals a 

 a little flat; length of body 88-212jLt, width of body 20-43/1 ; nucleus 

 length 13-20/x, width 8-12/1; posterior spine 8-9 /i long. The resting 

 nucleus shows 4 nucleoli. A imique (?, see Leger and Duboscq, 1904, 

 Protoopalina saturnalis) band of nucleolar substance occupies three- 

 quarters of the equator of the spindle and makes it difficult to count 

 the individual nucleoli. Anterior cilia 22-25/x long, the posterior 

 ones grading down to a length of 6/x; cilia line interval dn in front, 3.5/i 

 behind. The whole length of the body is ciliated except the posterior 

 spine. The oval endospherules are 1-2/1. 



PROTOOPAMNA OCTOMIXA Fantham 



Figure 29 



Host: Bwfo carens A. Smith, from Johannesburg, South Africa. 

 Measurements given, in microns: Body length 175-425, width 55- 

 140 ; nucleus length 26-36, width 18-27. Nucleoli 4. 



PROTOOPAUNA OVALIS Fantham 



Figure 30 



Host: Rana fuscigula Dumeril and Bibron, from Johannesburg, 

 South Africa. 



Measurements, in microns: Body length, 76-156.3, width, 30.8-84; 

 nucleus length, 10-19, width, 4.5-14. Nucleoli 6 in large individuals, 



