324 



HA.EMAMOEBAE IN ToRTOlSES 



8. H. metchntkowi. — Found in the blood of 

 Trionyx indica, or Chitra indica, a large fresh- 

 water tortoise, in many Indian rivers. All adult 

 specimens of this tortoise from the Jumna were 

 infejsted. 



The parasite resembles H. danilewskyi (hal- 

 teridium), in that two forms are easily dis- 

 tinguished in the blood — (i) a hyaline form with 

 large pigment grains, staining very slightly with 

 methylene blue ; (2) a granular form, with fine 

 pigment, staining deeply with methylene blue. 

 These forms corvespond to the male and female 

 gametes respectively. In one of Simond's figures 

 it is interesting to observe a male and female 

 gamete in the same red cell, which, so far as we 

 know, has never been observed in the case of 

 H. danilewskyi. But besides these pigmented 

 forms there are also found unpigmented forms, 



Fig. 69. H. metchnikowi, Gametes and Vevmicule 



which have the typical gregarine look, that is to 

 say, curved, worm-like bodies. The exact-relation- 

 ship of the haemogregarine to the haemaebae forms 

 is not understood. Simond, however, points out 

 that halteridium has a vermicule stage, and there 

 is the possibility of the relationship being similar 

 in this case (Fig. 69). 



