628 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
costatus from the same host ; Filaria Sarasinorum from Stenops gracilis ; 
and Oxijuris longicaudata from a Singhalese species of Julus. His paper 
includes not only diagnoses of these new species, but a fairly detailed 
account of their structure. 
New Gordiid.* — Prof. L. Camerano describes Chordodes Balzani 
sp. n. found by Prof. L. Balzan in Bolivia. It is readily distinguished 
from other species of Chordodes recorded from S. America, but shows 
in the structure of its cuticle some affinity with Ch. verrucosus Baird 
from Equatorial Africa. 
Platylielmintbes. 
Habitat Rich in Turbellaria.t — Hr. E. Sekera describes a forest 
pool near Pilgram in S.E. Bohemia, which proved to be very rich in 
Turbellaria. He records Macrostoma hystrix, Stenostoma leucops , St. 
unicolor , St. agile , Microstoma lineare, Catenula lemnse, Mesostoma rostra- 
tum , M. viridatum, M. productum, Castrada radiata, Gyrator herma - 
phroditus , four species of Vortex, three species of Prorhynchus, and 
Botlirioplana alacris. On these forms Dr. Sekera has brief notes, but 
the chief interest of his paper is perhaps the evidence of great abun- 
dance in one locality. It also shows how carefulness of search is 
rewarded. 
Development of Drepanophorus.J — Herr J. Lebedinsky has studied 
the direct development of Drepanophorus spectabilis. The ovum is large, 
with a double membrane ; two polar bodies are formed, and one, probably 
the first, may again divide. Segmentation is total and almost equal, 
and there is a segmentation-cavity at the eight-cell stage. A bipolar 
blastula results, and it exchanges a radial for a bilateral symmetry. On 
the ventral surface, near the posterior end, the endodermic area is seen. 
At its anterior and posterior margin two large oval cells occur. The 
two anterior cells pass in gastrulation between ectoderm and endoderm, 
exhibit mitoses, and form the paired anterior mesoderm-bands. These 
extend along the anterior surface of the arcbenteron, form somatopleure 
and splanchnopleure, and enclose a body-cavity. The two posterior 
cells are invaginated along with the endodermic area, lie for a time on 
the dorsal wall of the archenteron, but afterwards migrate from the 
enteric wall to between the layers and form the posterior mesoderm- 
bands. 
In the gastrula stage, some cells migrate from the ectoderm into the 
segmentation cavity and become the mesenchyme. This is used in 
forming the basal membrane, and probably in forming blood-vessels and 
blood. The mesoderm of the proboscis has a separate origin ; near the 
invagination, a proliferation of ectoderm occurs, and forms the meso- 
dermic sheath aided by the mesenchyme of the anterior end of the 
embryo. 
The gut-cavity is for a time much narrowed by transverse division 
of the endoderm cells, but in later stages it reacquires its original 
character, and appears as a tubular single-layered epithelium which 
communicates by a process with the blastopore. The blastopore gradu- 
* Ann. Mus. Civ. Genova, xvi. (1896) pp. 9-10. 
t Zool. Anzeig., xix. (1896) pp. 375-8. 
X Biol. Centralbl., xvi. (1896) pp. 577-86. 
