SF.A-FTSITEIJTES LABOTtATOKY. 117 



cauglit off the south-west coast of Irehind ami landed at 

 Fleetwood by a steam trawler. The worm has been 

 recently well figured by T. vScott,* and I have nothing 

 to add to his notes regarding its appearance and 

 occurrence. 



4. Gyrodactylus elegans, Nordmann. 



A number of specimens of a Trematode, certainly a 

 Gyrodactylus, and ver}' probably the above species, were 

 observed on the fins of a small plaice, about 7 cms. 

 in length, living in tlie acjuarium tanks at tlie Marine 

 Laboratory at Piel. The fish was one of a lot that had 

 been trawled in Ulverston Channel, Morecambe Bay, but 

 though most of those retained in the tank were examined, 

 the Trematode was only seen on one specimen. Both 

 dorsal and ventral fins were infected, but not the tail fin, 

 nor the gills, and no parasites were observed on the 

 general surface of the body. The fish could not be 



Fig. 4. Gijrodactybis elegans. x 125 dia. 

 examined at once, and therefore the fins were cut off and 

 preserved in weak formalin. The state of the parasites 

 was far from satisfactory when they were afterwards 

 examined, and I have some doubt in identifying it as 

 G. elegans, though it seems to be very near this species. 

 The average length and breadth are about U'-l and 

 005 mm. respectively. The large sucker bears two long 

 recurved hooks, which are about 0'05 mm. in length; and 

 there are six or seven pairs of smaller hooks on the 

 margins, lateral and posterior. Most of the specimens 

 contained embryos. 



* Twenty-eighth Annual Eept. Fishy. Bd. for Scotland, pt. Ill, 

 pi. VIII, 1891. 



