On Australian Entozoa, ivifh descriptions of new species, by 



Gerard Krefft, f.l.s. 



[Read July 3rd, 1871.] 



The natural history of the intestinal worms has been much 

 neglected in Australia, and we are not yet able to tell how many 

 of the common European species have accompanied man and 

 his domestic animals to this country. It has been ascertained 

 on the other hand that some Entozoa, tape-worms for instance, 

 of purely Australian origin infest our sheep, and it is a well 

 known fact that the common sheep fluke (Fasciola or Distoma 

 hepatica) has long occupied the biliary ducts of the kangaroos. 

 Our rats are troubled with cysts which contain unmistakeable 

 young tape- worms, {Gysiicercus fasciolaris), and nearly every 

 specimen which I examined carried several of them, from 

 a few lines to two inches in length. It would be interesting 

 to know in which animal this cestoid attains maturity. 



Our water fowl are great cestoid bearers, and as these birds 

 are easily obtained, I have first paid attention to these and now 

 lay the result of my investigations before the Entomological 

 Society of New South Wales. 



New genera were not discovered ; some of our species I 

 found to be closely allied to European ones, (such as the 

 Hammei'-headed tape-worm (Tcenia malleus) ; the young of other 

 species were traced, and it was observed that they lived in 

 prodiguous numbers in the hosts which carried the perfectly 

 mature " colony." My observations were made at first without 

 the proper means, I had no microscope, and was without a 

 standard work on the subject, both deficiencies were, however, 

 kindly supplied by gentlemen interested in these researches, so 

 that the next shooting season will find me better prepared 

 to make correct drawings of the ova, and take the necessary 

 measurements. 



The ova have assisted me much in arriving at a final 

 conclusion as to the character of the variable collection obtained. 



