Notes on Tetrameres sp. (Nematoda, Spiruroidea) Parasitic 
in the English Sparrow in Hawaii 
Leo Kartman^ 
While engaged by the University of Hawaii 
Agricultural Experiment Station in 1947, the 
writer participated in a study of wild birds as 
possible carriers of poultry parasites. During 
the course of this work incidental observa- 
tions were made on a species of Tetrameres 
parasitic in Passer domesticus. A more thorough 
study of this parasitic nematode was then 
contemplated, but it now appears that such a 
project may not be feasible. Since the parasite 
in question is undoubtedly a new species^ and 
some worker may wish to describe it, it seems 
desirable that these notes be recorded to 
serve as a basis for future work. 
In her treatise on bird nematodes, Cram 
(1927) listed 15 species of Tetrameres from 
various birds, but none in the English spar- 
row. A related parasite, Microtetrameres iner- 
mis, was listed as having the sparrow as a 
definitive host, but as far as can be determined 
no other information on sparrow parasites in 
the nematode family Tetrameridae is available 
in the literature. 
The roundworm genus Tetrameres is of 
both academic and economic interest. The 
nematode presents a striking sexual dimor- 
phism in that the mature female loses its 
typical filiform shape after invading the 
glands of the proventriculus and assumes a ' 
globular appearance (Fig. 1). Also, unlike 
the male, the female becomes blood-red in 
color. It is during the invasion of the stomach 
^Federal Security Agency, U. S. Public Health Serv- 
ice, Helena Malaria Investigations Station, Helena, 
Arkansas. Manuscript received November 15, 1950. 
^In a personal communication (1948), Dr. E. E. 
Wehr, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of 
Animal Industry, expressed the opinion that ”... the 
specimens from the sparrow do not closely fit the 
description of any known species . . . .” 
C 
Fig, 1. Three females of Tetra?neres sp. shown pro- 
truding from the outer proventricuiar wall of the 
English sparrow, a. Position of parasites in relation to 
gizzard and intestine; b, enlargement to show globular 
appearance of females; c, one female entirely free of the 
enveloping proventricuiar tissue, and other two partly 
imbedded. 
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