The pentastomes or linguatulids form a group of very 

 degenerate Araohuida, and are now regarded as po^s.-ssing 

 nihilities to the vermiform Aearids. The true position of 

 these limbless Arthropods was for long a matter of specu- 

 lation, 1 until Leuckart traced the life history of the species 

 under review, showing that in one of the early stages, limbs 

 as well as distinctly acarid characters were present. 



Excellent accountsof the life history and general anatomy 

 of this worm are given in various textbooks dealing with 

 human and veterinary parasitology. 2 The main characters 

 of the larva as seen by us were as follows:— The animals 

 were flattened and almost lanceolate, being 5'4 mm. long 

 with a breadth (just behind the anterior end) of about 1*25 

 mm., tapering fairly rapidly to 0*15 mm. at the posterior 

 end, which was obtusely rounded off. The whole body was 

 finely annulate, 89 rings being counted. The posterior 

 border of each ring possessed a great number of short, 

 strong ba<-k\vanll\'-i!irret.nl spines. Situated anteriorly on 

 the flattened or concave ventral surface were four large 

 strongly curved chitinous claws. These were freely mov- 

 able and projected prominently when the parasite was 

 viewed laterally. Each claw was provided with a chitin- 

 ous accessory hook lying just above it. In the mid-line, 

 between the pairs of hooks, the mouth could be recognised 

 as a more or less elliptical aperture leading into the rela- 

 tively wide intestine. The latter was a simple straight 

 median tube leading to the terminally situated anus. 



1 For a brief summary see Sainton, Jour. Tn> v . Med. Hyj., xm, 1910, 

 p. 17-24. 



* Cobbold, " Knioznn," lstH, p . 303. Cobbold, " Parasites etc.,"' 1870, 

 pp. 259-263. Knilii.-t, •• I'r.uV d- /...,, l.^i,- agri.-nl.. i-t m.'.licalo," 1S05, 



