239] PROTEOCEPHALIDAE—LA RUE 239 



the excretory canals can hardly be anything other than the vitellaria, in the loca- 

 tion usual for the species of the genus Proteocephalus. Kholodkovski states that 

 the vitellarium is very small, but it seems likely that he has mistaken something 

 else for the vitellarium. A comparison of the figures with mounted specimens of 

 the worms of the genus Proteocephalus leaves no reasonable doubt on this point, 

 and it is the opinion of the writer and Dr. B. H. Ransom, with whom the point 

 was discussed, that it is more likely that the dog from which the tapeworms were 

 obtained had just eaten the true host, some fish, reptile, or batrachian, than that 

 the dog was the true host by virtue of a normal, even though unusual, infection 

 with larval form. Fuhrmann appears to have overlooked the unusual features of 

 this worm in his review of Kholodkovski (1909), and states that the anatomy is 



that of species of Taenia." 



"Taenia punica Kholodkovski, 1908, should therefore be known as Proteoceph- 

 alus punicus (Kholodkovski, 1908) Hall, 1910, a combination proposed here for 

 the first time " 



La Rue (1911:481) included this species in the genus Ophiotaenia. 



After making a careful study of Cholodkovski 's description and 

 drawings, and after comparing them with many specimens of Proteo- 

 cephalidae the writer agrees with Hall that the normal host of this 

 species is not the dog. In the writer's opinion the true host is a snake. 

 This cestode having its testes in two fields does not resemble any of the 

 species of Proteocephalus thus far described from fish. The Proteoceph- 

 alids that infest the lizards belong to the genus Acanthotaenia and 

 these are distinguished from other Proteocephalids by the presence of 

 spines on the head and neck. The Proteocephalids thus far described 

 from Amphibia are small with rather small heads. Their genital organs, 

 however, resemble those of Taenia punica. It is also true that in this 

 respect they agree with the Proteocephalids of snakes. The species 

 from snakes vary in size from small to large. Some of the species have 

 large heads with large and prominent suckers. Their genital organs 

 much resemble those of Taenia punica. As in the latter species the 

 vitellaria of the Proteocephalids of snakes are sometimes composed of 

 small follicles which refuse to take the stain well. In such cases it is 

 easy to overlook the vitellaria. As an instance of this might be men- 

 tioned the Taenia eunectes A. J. Smith in which the coils of the ducts 

 in the interovarial space were thought to be the vitellaria. For these 

 reasons and also on account of the size of the head and strobila the 

 writer suggests that the true host of Taenia punica is a snake, and that 

 Taenia punica belongs to the genus Ophiotaenia and should therefore 

 be known under the name Ophiotaenia punica (Cholodkovski, 1908) 

 La Rue. 



