1888.] H. H. Anderson — Description 0/ Anoplophrya geolosomatis. 381 



XVI. — Anoploplirya seolosomatis, a new Ciliate Infusorian parasitic in 

 the Alimentary Canal of ^olosoma chlorostictum, W.-M., MSS. — 

 J^y Henry H. Anderson, B. A. Communicated by The Microscopi- 

 cal Society of Calcutta. 



[Received 1st January ; — Read Novemlber 7tli, 1888.*] 

 (With Plate I.) 



A wine-glass full of weeds and water from a neighbouring tank 

 had been standing on my table for some days, when, one evening, having 

 no fresh material, 1 began to re-examine the contents of the glass. 

 It was swarming with a species of JEolosoma, first discovered by Mr. J. 

 Wood-Mason, Superintendent of the Indian Museum, and named by him 

 ^olosoma chlorostictum. One of these worms having been accidentally 

 crushed by the pressure of the coverslip, among the contents of its 

 alimentary canal were seen some Holotrichous Ciliate Infusoria belonging 

 to the genus Anoplophrya of the family Opalinidae. Almost every one 

 of the JEolosoma taken from the wine-glass during the next week con- 

 tained specimens of the Anoplophrya, which is, I believe, a new species, 

 and to which I would give the name Anoplophrya ceolosomatis. It 

 differs from all the members of this genus described by Kent, except 

 Anoplophrya mytilij in possessing a single contractile vesicle, and its 

 shape and the form of its endoplast distinguish it from that species ; 

 these characteristics distinguish it too from the forms discovered since 

 the publication of Kent's manual by Leidy, Balbiani, and Foulke, as 

 far as I can judge from the accounts of the discoveries of these writers 

 that I have been able to get at. 



In shape it is oval, tapering to a point at both ends, the tapering 

 portion being considerably produced posteriorly. It is from 3^0 to 

 :f^th of an inch in length; the compound forms are, however, consi- 

 derably larger ; the longest seen and measured, consisting of the parent 

 form and two segments, was tto^^ ^^ ^^ i^^ch long. The breadth is 

 barely half the length and the thickness from one eighth to one tenth. 

 The endoplast is axial, band-shaped, extending nearly the whole length 

 of the body, in most specimens straight, though in a few somewhat 

 curved or S-shaped. It is very plain in specimens that are drying, not 

 so clear, but still easily observable, in living specimens watched in the 

 alimentary canal of living ^olosoma. It is coarsely granulated, and, in 

 one specimen observed, five large and highly refractive, though not 



* Having been previously read before the Microscopical Society of Calcutta on 

 December 5th, 1887. 



