Acanthocephala of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-1918* 



H. J. VAN CLEAVE. 



(With 2 Plates). 



INTRODUCTION. 



The acanthocephalan fauna of the Arctic regions has received little attention 

 from investigators, as evidenced by the meagre references to it in literature. 

 Records of some of the early expeditions contain references to the occurrence 

 of Acanthocephala in the Arctic but most of the descriptions are too vague 

 to be of value in any consideration of the taxonomy of the group. Species 

 described by some of the early explorers have become the objects of much 

 conjecture on the part of present-day investigators. Under the name Sipunculux 

 lendix, Phipps (1774) described from an eider duck what is obviously a species 

 of Acanthocephala. Soon afterward, Goeza (1782:141) called attention to the 

 fact that this species of Phipps' is in reality an acanthocephalan. Since that 

 time various investigators have endeavoured to determine the correct disposition 

 of this species within the group, but all of their attempts appear to be mere 

 guesses ostensibly fostered by the desire to distribute all of the species names 

 into groups which would at least give the appearance of a completely worked 

 out synonymy. 



A considerable number of species of Acanthocephala have been described 

 by European parasitologists from hosts of arctic or sub-arctic range. Most 

 of the species have been found in whales and other marine mammals. Very 

 little evidence is available regarding the Acanthocephala of arctic birds and 

 fishes. Von Linstow (1905) published a report on the .parasitic worms obtained 

 by the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900-1903 in which he gave descriptions 

 of three species of Acanthocephala representing the fauna of West Tajmirland. 

 Of these, a new species, Echinorhynchus pupa, was described from the King 

 Eider, Somateria (Erionetta) spectabilis; while the two remaining species Cory- 

 nosoma strumosum ( = E. strumosus) and E. reductus, n. sp., were from the seal, 

 Phoca foetida. 



In so far as the present writer is aware there are no published records of 

 the occurrence of Acanthocephala in the arctic fauna of North America. The 

 collections obtained by the Canadian Arctic Expedition thus offer an opportunity 

 of making a start toward the study of this interesting faunal region. 



MATERIALS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



Through the kindness of Dr. A. R. Cooper the writer has received for 

 study the collection of Acanthocephala taken by Mr. F. Johansen, naturalist 

 on the Canadian Arctic Expedition. This collection is not extensive, either- 

 with regard to the number of host species represented or in the regions repre- 

 sented. Nevertheless, since it represents the first arctic collection of these 

 parasites from the American continent it seems worth while to publish the 

 results of this investigation. Most of the specimens were collected in the vicinity 

 of Bernard harbour (Dolphin and Union strait), Northwest Territories, where 



"Contributions from the Zoological Laboratory of the University of Illinois, No. 147. 



71929-2 



