DESCRIPTION OF ANCYLOSTOMA PLURIDENTATUM, A 

 HOOIvWORM OF CARNIVORES, AND A REVIEW OF 

 THE GENUS ANCYLOSTOMA 



By Benjamin Schwaetz 



Of the Zoological Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, Umted States De- 

 partment of Agriculture 



INTRODUCTION 



Ancylostoina fluridentatum was described by Alessandrini (1905) 

 under the name UneinaHa. 'pluridentatvmh from the intestine of Felis 

 mitis, in Brazil. The special characteristics of this worm, as noted 

 by that writer, are the two unequal pairs of teeth in the anterior 

 and ventral portion of the mouth capsule, the inner or median pair 

 being described as very small — in fact, almost rudimentary — and the 

 presence of three small projections or teeth on each side of the dorsal 

 edge of the mouth capsule. Alessandrini also noted in this species a 

 small process with a rugged surface on each side of the cloacal aper- 

 ture in the male. 



Ancylostoma pluridentatum was not reported again for 17 years, 

 and then Vevers (1922) reported it from the intestine of Felis tigris, 

 in the Malay States, noting certain minor differences between his 

 specimens and Alessanclrini's description of this species. Two years 

 later Chap in (1924) recorded it from a South American carnivore 

 {Felis tigrina), which had died in the National Zoological Park in 

 Washington, D. C. Chapin merely noted the presence of this species 

 in the United States, but did not discuss the morphology of the 

 worm. 



In the opinion of Lane (1918) this species should be made the 

 type of a new genus. • Lane has also considered the possibility that 

 Alessandrini may have misinterpreted the structures on the dorsal 

 edge of the mouth capsule as well as the two rugged structures near 

 the cloacal aperture of the male, in which case the question of the 

 possible identity of Ancylostoma pluridentatwin with Ancyclostoma 



No. 2697,— Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 72, Art, I 



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