NO. 47.— 1896.] NEMATOID PARASITE. 



105 



ON A CURIOUS NEMATOID PARASITE FROM THE 

 STOMACH OF A CEYLON INSECT 

 (MANTIS RELIGIOSA). 



By 0. COLLETT, F.R.M.S. 



I HAVE recently sent to the Colombo Museum a specimen 

 of a female Mantis, which was taken in the Gampola district 

 of Ceylon last September. 



In the stomach of this insect I found a curious parasite 

 of remarkable length ; and acting upon the suggestion of Mr. 

 A. Haly (the Director), who thinks that the case is one 

 worthy of record, I have written a short description of the 

 animal to lay before this Society, in the hope that the 

 subject may be considered of some interest. 



The Mantis from which the parasite was taken was nearly 

 full grown. It measured 2| inches in length from front of 

 head to tip of tail, and four inches in breadth across the 

 outstretched wing-cases. Its abdomen measured one inch 

 long and half an inch in width. It seems incredible then that 

 in the stomach of this insect there should have lived a 

 parasitic worm measuring one-thirtieth of an inch in dia- 

 meter, and no less than two feet three aDd a half inches in 

 length. Indeed, the length of the parasite was equal to 

 almost twelve times that of the entire body of its host ! 



The animal is an aproctous nematode of the family 

 Mermithidia. It may be described as follows: — 



The body : long, smooth, and cylindrical, narrowed at the 

 anterior end ; the other extremity being slightly flattened, 

 and ending in a short, curved point. 



Colour : an opaque milky white, changing to bright yellow 

 near the tail. 



Skin : smooth and shiny ; the ringed structure of the 

 cuticle, which often occurs in species of this kind, is very 

 apparent when the animal is mounted in balsam. The skin 



