1909.] NEMATODE WORM FROM TRINIDAD. 743 



Description. — The male worms are easily distinguished from the 

 females by their smaller size — being 9 mm. in length by "4 mm. 

 in breadth, as compared with 15 mm. in length by "5 mm. in 

 breadth. 



The posterior part of the body in the male is bent ventrally 

 like e^, pot-hook — in the female it is straight. 



The integument is marked transversely by fine striae, there are 

 no alpe at the anterior end of the body as in the species mystax and 

 inargmata, but the cuticle projects from the two lateral bands as 

 a narrow ridge for almost the whole length of the body. 



AUmentarij Canal. — A deep furrow in the cuticle sharply 

 defines the junction of the lips with the rest of the body. Each 

 lip is separated from its neighbour by a short horn-like pro- 

 jection of cuticle, that arises from the floor of this groove. The 

 cuticular covering of the individual lips is exceedingly strongly 

 developed, and little can be seen of the pulp. Each lip is ver- 

 tically split along its inner, or biting surface, giving that appear- 

 ance of " hare-lip " which suggested the name Lagochilascaris. 



The (Esophagus is a simple muscular bulb resembling that of 

 other Ascaridfe, and measures in length in the male 1"1 mm., in 

 the female 1'2 mm., its diameter increasing from "1 mm. to "15 mm. 



The chyle intestine is a wdde thin-walled tube ending in a 

 short stiaiglit aiicl chitinous rectum '15 mm. long. 



Genitalia. — In the 'inale the cloaca opens 'lo mm. from the tip 

 of the tail. The testicular tube is differentiated into three 

 portions : (1) the ejaculatory duct about "8 mm. in length and 

 attaining a greatest diameter of 'Vi mm. This gradually dilates 

 to become (2) the seminal vesicle which extends forwards for a 

 distance of 2 mm. and maintains thi-ough the greatei- pai-t of its 

 course a diameter of "2 mm., and terminates in (3) the testicular 

 tubule which, with a diameter of "1 mm. or less, follows a much 

 coiled course as far forward as the junction of the oesophagus 

 and chyle intestine. There are two solid curved and colourless 

 spicules measin-ing 3"5 mm. and 4 mm. in length. The pre-anal 

 papillpe number over 24 pairs and there are apparently five pairs, 

 of post-anal papillse, but these could not be ascertained satis- 

 factorily. 



The female measin-es 15 mm. in length. The vulva, guarded 

 by slightly protruding lips, opens 6 mm. from the anterior end. 

 The vagina passes forwards for a short distance, then turns back- 

 wards. The ovarian and uterine tubules occupy the middle third 

 only of the body. The ova are round and pitted like those of 

 A. mystax, thick-shelled and colourless, -065 mm. in diameter. 



Habitat. — The alimentary canal is undoubtedly the normal 

 habitat of this worm, and its occurrence in abscesses under the> 

 skin in the two cases from which it was obtained renders it likely 

 that some other animal — -probably one of the carnivora — and 

 not man, is its normal host. 



