No. 505] 



NOTES AND LITERATURE 



63 



of birds and hence is typical of it. Birds with similar food habits 

 shelter often radically different cestode parasites both in species 

 and in genera. On the other hand, related birds of different 

 food habits often show similar genera among their cestode guests 

 even though the species differ. A zoogeographic survey of the 

 cestodes in the various groups of birds shows a sharp contrast 

 between the species found in different regions and furnishes 

 strong evidence of the value of parasites as aids in zoogeographic 

 investigations. In this respect the cestodes are unquestionably 

 of the greatest value in the light of Fuhrmann's studies. 



It would be impossible to abstract the systematic portion of 

 Fuhrmann's paper. Many of the doubtful and insufficiently 

 described species of other authors are here positively evaluated 

 after comparison of the original material. Each genus is char- 

 acterized on the basis of the author's investigations and the type 

 species designated. The other species are also listed with refer- 

 ences to the appropriate literature and to all known hosts. The 

 faunistic section contains a complete list of the hosts with their 

 cestode parasites and a record of the geographic distribution. 

 A good alphabetic index of families, genera, species and 

 synonyms, together with a full bibliography, closes the paper. 

 Though not stated specifically, the monograph appears to be con- 

 fined to the Cyclophyllidea and all will await with great interest 

 the publication by this author of further studies dealing with 

 other groups of avian cestodes. 



A paper by Plehn (Zool. Anz., 33: 427) on a blood-inhabiting 

 cestode designated Sanguinicola, is of especial interest both from 

 the morphological and from the biological standpoint. The 

 animal occurs in the blood system of Cyprinid fishes, being most 

 frequently found in the bulbus arteriosus, and was originally 

 described in 1905 as an aberrant rhabdoeoel. In structure it 

 agrees well with the few monozoic cestodes classed together as 

 Cestodaria and often separated from other cestodes. The species 

 does not reach full development in this host, or at least in the 

 blood vessels, since no specimens with fully developed female 

 organs have yet been found. The author conjectures that it is 

 withdrawn by some Moml-suckm- p;ir;tsite and undergoes fur- 

 ther development in that host. In view of the size of the worm 

 and its evident inability to reach even the superficial arterioles, 

 such a life cycle seems at least unlikely. The confessedly im- 

 perfect account of the structure of this worm makes any dis- 



