550 A DESCRIPTION OF THE ENTOZOA COLLECTED BY DR WILLEY 



proglottides where the rest of the generative organs have practically disappeared (Fig. 19, 

 Plate LV.). The uterus is at first somewhat divided by projecting shelves of tissue, 

 but these become less and less prominent until in the hindermost proglottides they 

 have practically disappeared. The eggs are very characteristic, in the first place they 

 are arranged much more regularly than is usually the case, in transverse rows. They 

 are when isolated spherical in shape, but they show a great disposition to adhere 

 together in small clumps and their outline is then interfered with by mutual pressure 

 (Figs. 19 and 20, Plate LV.). These clumps perhaps most usually consist of two eggs, 

 but three pre.s.sed together or even four are often met with. The egg shell is single 

 and the nucleus large, the average diameter of the whole egg is about "025 mm. 



The systematic position of P. varani is near that of the Dr Max Liihe's recently 

 described Oochoristica'^, but I think sufficient differences exist to justify the establish- 

 ment of a new genus. Until we have a fuller account of the anatomy of Oochoristica 

 it will be impossible to determine the exact relationship of the two forms. 



The following are the features of the proposed new genus Palaia : — 

 Palaia varani, n. gen. et sp. 



The rostrum is absent and no hooks are present. Four weak suckers are found 

 on the head. Immediately behind the head is a narrow constriction or neck. The 

 head is deeply embedded in a pit in the substance of the alimentary canal wall of 

 the host. The edges of the pit have narrowed and by means of the button-shaped 

 head the parasite is kept in po.sition. The body is deeply grooved with longitudinal 

 furrows which with the transverse furrows form small quadrilateral areas. Genital pore 

 unilateral and very irregularly arranged. The longitudinal muscles surrounding the 

 central part of each proglottis, in which the generative glands lie, ver}' well marked 

 and divided into very definite bundles. Ova "025 mm. in diameter, more or less 

 regularly arranged, sometimes aggregated together in clumps of two, three or four. 



Species. Palaia varani, with the characters of the genus. 



Habitat. The duodenum of the lizard Varanus indicus. 



V. PHYLLOBOTHRIUM DIPSADOMORPHI, n. sp. 



In von Linstow's " Compendium der Helminthologie " 1S78, and its " Nachtrag " 

 1889, some eighty-six species of snake are mentioned infested with entozoa, but the 

 number of species of adult Cestode catalogued amounts to but thirteen belonging to 

 six genera. In the British Museum Catalogue of Snakes, Bou longer describes over 

 1600 species of Snake, and it is thus evident that at the present time but a small 

 percentage of the Ophidia have been searched for parasites and that those which 

 have been investigated contain a comparatively small number of genera of Tape-worm. 



The species I am now about to describe belongs undoubtedly to the genus Phyllo- 

 buthrium and was taken from the intestine of a " Malagea " snake Dipsadoviorphus 



1 Zool. Anz. XXI. 1898, p. 6.50. 



