STUDIES OX THE ECTOPAEASITIC TEEMATODES 01' JAPAiT. 233 



IX. Epibdella, Blainville. 



An exoelleut summary of the history of this genus up to 18G1 is found in P. J. 

 V. Beneden's " Memoire sur les vers iutestinaux" (pp. 18-21), and I have nothing 

 to add to it. It has been ah-eady pointed out by B r a u n ' > that Biasing's genus 2) 

 Beuedenia is based witliout any sufficient ground on Epibdella seiuenae, P. J. v. Bene- 

 den. In I'SSO a new species E. Heiulorffii {^=Ph!jlliiie Hendorffii,'L[nstov/^'>) was 

 described, so that the genus contains at present three species, viz., the one just men- 

 tioned from the surface of the abdomen of Conjjjhaena hippiiriis, E. hipjMijlossi, 0. Fr. 

 Miiller from the bcdy surface of Pleuronectes Mjipoylossus, and E. sciaenete, P. J. v. 

 Beneden from the body surface of Sciaeim aqiiila. 



P. J. V. Beneden*) gives the following diagnosis of the genus : " Corps de 

 forme ovale, mince et aplati ; tute pourvue de deux ventouses, une grande ventouse 

 en arriere armee de crochets et couverte en dedans de papilles regulieremeut dis- 

 posees, avec le bord frangi ; les orifices sexuels situes sur le bord a droit pres de la 

 ventouse buccale ; deux vesicules pulsatiles, s'ouvrant en avant, a quelque distance 

 du bord. lis vivent sur la peau des poissons " — a diagnosis which has been repro- 

 duced in essence by subsequent writers. I believe I can improve it as follows : 



Body flat, tjiin, more or less oval; with a pair of el- 

 liptical or circular suckers at the anterior end of the 

 body on either side of the mouth, and with a circular or 

 elliptical sucker at the posterior end. The posterior 

 sucker destitute of any septa, and with three pairs of 

 hooks near its posterior border. Mouth subterminal. 

 Common genital opening ventral, on the left side of 

 the body, just behind one of the anterior suckers, and 

 near the margin of the body. Vaginal opening ventral, 

 on the same side as the common genital opening, and 



1). Braun — Wiirmer. p. 518. 



2). Diesing — Kevision d. Myzhelminthen, p. 3t)3. Naohtriige u. Verbeper. z. Eev. d.' 

 Myzhelm., p. 19. 



3). Linstow— Beitrag z. Auat. v. Phylline Hendorffii. Archiv f. mik. Anat. Bd. 33, 1889. 

 pp. 153-180. 



4). P. J. V. Beneden — Memoire etc. p. 18. 



