OVERVIEW 
During 1976 the Registry of Tumors in Lower Animals fulfilled one de¬ 
cade as a diagnostic center, a literature center, a specimen depository, 
a research group, and a general clearinghouse for information on neoplasia 
and related disorders in invertebrate and poikilothermic vertebrate animals. 
Its founding in 1966 (initially approved in 1965) was made possible by funds 
provided by the National Cancer Institute, due largely to the efforts of 
Drs. Clyde J. Dawe, Harold L. Stewart, Thelma B. Dunn, and Mearl F. Stanton, 
and by space provided at the Smithsonian Institution due largely to the ef¬ 
forts of Dr. Donald F. Squires. 
Two hundred thirteen accessions (several containing multiple specimens) 
were added to the collection. The phylogenetic and the neoplastic versus 
non-neoplastic distributions are given in Table I; an itemized list com¬ 
prises the body of this report. Among those specimens received was ma¬ 
terial from the largest tumor ever found in a lower animal, a 45 lb. lipoma, 
from a 400 lb. bluefin tuna (RTLA 1518) contributed by Paul P. Yevich. No 
epidemiological trend has appeared to suggest a cause for the one to sev¬ 
eral lipomas discovered annually in fish. Another tuna (albacore) which 
had an osteoma (RTLA 1384), a type of tumor usually associated with croak¬ 
ers, was contributed by Jerry D. Hendricks. Mr. Yevich also contributed a 
lymphocytic leukemia in a brook trout (RTLA 1519) and two significant mol- 
luscan tumors including a hematopoietic neoplasm of possible amoebocytic 
origin in a black quahog (RTLA 1392), and a diffuse, undifferentiated sar¬ 
coma in an oyster (RTLA 1435). Other molluscan specimens received with neo¬ 
plastic and non-neoplastic lesions were: a mussel from J. M. Ward, A. Guarino, 
and W. L. Doyle which had a vesicular connective tissue tumor of the gonad 
(RTLA 1474); an Asiatic clam from Brian S. Morton with granulomas associ¬ 
ated with incubating larvae (RTLA 1391); a three-ridge naiad from Fred Hink 
and Carol Stein showing inflammatory polyps of the vesicular connective tis¬ 
sue (RTLA 1396); and, hard clams from Sara Otto, Sing C. Chang, and me, con¬ 
taining chlamydial inclusions (RTLA 1414-1418). Chlamydia are obligate, 
intracytoplasmic, zoonotic procaryotes believed to have evolved from bac¬ 
teria. They produce psittacosis in many species of birds and a type of pneu¬ 
monia in humans. This discovery suggests that hard clams and possibly other 
mollusks play an intermediate host role, which could have large economic and 
public health significance. A large number of soft clams were received from 
John Hurst (RTLA 1448-1461) and from Edward Gilfillan (RTLA 1500-1515) from 
several sites in Maine polluted with various petroleum products. While many 
of these animals remain to be studied, initial findings confirm Paul Yevich*s 
contention that germinomas arise in some of these populations. A polyoma 
type virus was also found. A soft clam specimen from the Northeast U.S. 
coast with a diffuse hematopoietic neoplasm was contributed by Robert Brown 
(RTLA 1413). 
Eight fish cases (RTLA 1478-1485) from coastal waters of southeast 
Florida were contributed by Walter Kandrashoff who has observed an ...creaoe 
in fish anomalies over the years as water in this area has become more pol¬ 
luted. Two of the lesions were neoplastic — a neurilemmoma in a mangrove 
snapper and a mesothelioma in a carp. The other lesions appeared to be para¬ 
sitic or traumatic. Neurilemmomas had previously been reported in snappers 
from southwest Florida (Key West/Dry Tortugas) by Lucke in 1942 and are reg¬ 
ularly received by the Registry from many species from widespread locations. 
