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Notes upon a Haiolosporidian. 



185 



to break through the epithelium, and the parasites appear 

 to become free in the intestine. 



General Considerations. 



As far as I have been able to observe, there is no sign 

 of a sexual reproductive process in the parasite here dis- 

 cussed. I have no reason to assume that the nuclei of 

 the apparently binucleate reproductive bodies fuse together 

 at any part of their development, nor have I found any 

 fusion of nuclei previous to the formation of these bodies. 

 The word spore is used with much looseness in the case 

 of the more obscure Sporozoa, such as for instance the 

 group at present under discussion. 



Schaudinn's now familiar terminology might, I think, 

 be applied with advantage to forms like Idhyosporidium, 

 Arnold Lang in his " Protozoa " {Lehrhuch der verghicheiide 

 Anatomic), speaking of " spore-formation " — " Fortpfianzung 

 durch Zerfalltheilung " — says with much justness, " Diese 

 Fortpflanzungsweise ist bis zetzt fast allgemein schlechthin 

 als Sporenbildung bezeichnet werden. Allein das charakter- 

 istische der Zerfalltheilung ist nicht die Bildung von 

 Sporen sondern die art wie die Sporen gebildet werden." 

 According to Schaudinn's nomenclature, these reproductive 

 bodies may be called merozoites, as they are formed by 

 the simultaneous breaking up of the trophozoite, and are 

 not preceded by any sexual process. Their binucleate 

 character is, I think, no disability, neither is the spore- 

 capsule " found in other members of the Haplosporidia in 

 my opinion any reason for rejecting the terms until a 

 sexual process is observed. To put this last point more 

 precisely, the animal which emerges from such a spore is 

 not a sporozoite but really a merozoite. 



This term does not, of course, apply to the Myxosporidia, 

 as the reproductive bodies are formed while the parent 

 individual is still in the trophic state. 



I am quite ignorant as to how the infection is spread 

 from one host to another. 



VOL. XVII. Q 



