742 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
two quite different species — Ech. proteus and Ech. Linstoivi sp. n. — have 
been confused. 
Structure and Development of Echinorhynchus.* * * § — Herr J. Kaiser 
continues his account of the Acanthocephala. The sub-cuticular 
fibrillar feltwork is described in great detail. The constant circulation 
of fluid has suggested to previous investigators that the fine fibres which 
bound the cavities might serve to keep up the current ; Kaiser has 
shown that the radial fibres are the sole motor elements. The zone of 
radial fibres and the feltwork are very closely connected, but they are 
quite different ; the latter is secreted from the hypodermis and is truly 
cuticular, whereas the radial fibres are formed from the plasma of the 
hypodermis cells and are contractile. As to the lemnisci, it is at least 
certain that they are not excretory. They are homologous with the 
lateral vessels of Nematodes, while the tubular network in the skin is 
an independent nutritive system, which might be compared to a system 
of blood-vessels. The rest of Kaiser’s memoir, so far as published, is 
devoted to a description of the musculature, which presents a close 
resemblance to that of Nematodes, and yet has very distinctive 
peculiarities. 
Notes on Parasites.f — Dr. C. W. Stiles fails to find the tooth which 
some authors have described in the embryos of Ascaris ; he has seen, 
however, signs of the three lips characteristic of the adult, and thinks 
that he has here the origin of the error. He describes a new species of 
Filaria, F. Gasterostei , from the body-cavity of Gasterosteus aculeatus. In 
Paris, in May, he observed the escape of a number of specimens of 
Mermis crassa from the larvae of Chironomus plumulosus. 
y. Platyhelminthes. 
Large Land Planarian.| — Dr. B. Sharp proposes the name of 
Bipalium manubriatum for a large land planarian, found in a green-house 
at Lansdowne, Pa. The tail is said to be rounded, and not, as is usual, 
pointed. The ground colour is greyish-yellow and is traversed by five 
longitudinal black bands. No comparison is made with B. Kewense , 
which has been found in so many green-houses. 
The Papillae of Microstoma.§ — Dr. F. v. Wagner finds that the 
£ ‘ attaching papillae,” described by von Graff at the posterior end of 
Microstoma lineare , are not papillae at all, but simply the projecting 
terminal portions oif unicellular glands. 
The Genus Apoblema.|| — Dr. F. S. Monticelli describes Apoblema 
( Distoma ) appendiculatum , A. ocreatum , and A. Stossichii sp. n. He 
accepts and corroborates Juel’s reasons for considering these and related 
tailed Trematodes as in a distinct genus of the subfamily Distomidae, a 
genus for which the title Apoblema proposed by Dujardin is adopted. 
He reduces the species to nine and gives a diagnostic table of these. 
* Bibliotheca Zool. (Leuckart and Chun), vii. (1891) pp. 41-72 (2 pis.). Cf. 
this Journal, ante, p. 196. f Bull. Soc. Zool. France, xvi. (1891) pp. 162- 5. 
J Proc. Acad, Nat. Sci. Philad., 1891, pp. 120-2. 
§ Zool. Anzeig., xiv. pp. 327-31 (1 fig.). 
|| Atti K. Accad. Sci. Torino, xxvi. (1890-1) pp. 496-524 (1 pi. not published in 
this part). 
