84 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Geneva and hitherto undescribed : — Copeus labiaius , Dinocharis pocillum , 
Scaridium longicaudum , Diglena f or cipata, Salpina mucronata, and Salpina 
brevispina. All these males have the usual characters of their tribe, 
being small in size and devoid of manducatory and digestive organs, 
excepting however as regards the size of the male of Diglena for cipata, 
which is as large as the female. 
Lacinularia elliptica, a new Rotifer.* — Mr. J. Shephard figures 
and describes this new species from a lagoon near the Yarra river in 
Victoria, Australia, where it was found in company with L. natans. 
L. elliptica forms large elliptical free-swimming clusters with a substan- 
tial axis, and resembles most nearly L. racemovata of Gunson-Thorpe. 
It differs from the latter species in the form of the corona, in the trophi, 
and by possessing a constricted trunk, and large foot-glands at the junc- 
tion with the foot. 
Early Development of Rotifers.f — Herr R. v. Erlanger and Dr. R. 
Lauterborn give a preliminary note on their researches on this subject in 
the case both of the fertilised and parthenogenetic eggs of Asplanchna 
priodonta. The object of the research was to investigate the difference 
between the centrosome of the fertilised and of the parthenogenetic eggs. 
The parthenogenetic eggs are of two kinds, those which develope into 
males and those which develop into females. The latter form two polar 
bodies, the former only one. This single polar body shows many pecu- 
liarities in its origin ; the term polar spindle can hardly be employed, as 
the “ spindle ” has only one pole and only one centrosome, and half of 
the germinal vesicle is extruded without the previous disappearance of 
the nuclear membrane. The single centrosome, which is apparently 
present in the immature egg, divides after the extrusion of the polar body, 
the two parts forming the poles of the first segmentation spindle. The 
first segmentation nucleus only assumes very gradually its typical shape, 
as it remains for a long time in connection with the polar body. 
The parthenogenetic eggs with two polar bodies were not fully 
studied, but apparently the first polar body divides after its formation. 
The formation of the polar bodies in the fertilised eggs was also not 
fully ascertained, but it was found that the spermatozoon furnishes the 
centrosome of the fertilised egg, and this originates as usual from the 
middle piece of the spermatozoon. As in Ascaris , there is no single 
first segmentation nucleus, but both male and female pronuclei take part 
in the formation of the first segmentation spindle. The poles of the 
spindle are occupied by the divided centrosomes of the spermatozoon. 
Sporozoic Parasites in a Rotifer.J — Dr. Lenssen notes that the 
presence of sporozoic parasites in Rotifers has not been hitherto esta- 
blished with certainty. He has, however, found indubitable proofs of 
their presence in the intestinal cells of Hydatina senta. Certain appear- 
ances lead him to suspect that the Euglense present in the intestine may 
have some share in the development of the Sporozoa found in the intes- 
tinal cells. 
* Victorian Naturalist, 1897, pp. 3-4 (1 pi.). 
t Zool. Anzeig, xx. (1897) pp. 452-G. J Tom. cit., pp. 330-33 (5 figs.). 
