222 
A Myxosporidian 
the other species of the genus were found in marine fish. In the monograph 
on Myxosporidia, I (Kudo, 1920a) have, therefore, placed the speci es provision¬ 
ally in the new genus Wardia on the basis of these peculiar cha racters which 
fit better to that genus than to Leptotheca. 
Recently I have observed a Myxosporidian which, I belie ve, is identical 
with L. ohlmacheri, in the kidneys of R. clamitans and R. pip iens. The vege¬ 
tative forms as well as spores at various stages of develo )ment were so 
abundant in numbers and the conditions were so favoural de that I have 
undertaken an extensive study on the morphology and the development of 
the organism. The study is without significance in view of The circumstance 
that none of the Myxosporidia parasitic in batrachian hosts, which are listed 
in my monograph (Kudo, 1920a), has been examined in detail by the previous 
authors. It has been found that L. ohlmacheri possesses all the essential 
features characteristic of the genus Leptotheca , except that the spore mem¬ 
brane is striated and it occurs in amphibian hosts. The interesting character 
of the spore is that it contains two uninucleate sporoplfvsms which are inde¬ 
pendent and remain separated from each other. The development of the 
trophozoites, especially the process of gemmation occu rring in the present 
species, stands sharply in contrast with those of other species observed recently 
by Georgevitch (1916, 1917 and 1917a), Davis (1916), Erdmann (1917) and 
Stempell (1919). Thus the study has revealed more oi less interesting facts 
of general importance concerning this group of Protozoa. 
The purpose of this paper is to present the observed facts, their inter¬ 
relations, and the necessary reference to other disp»orous or mictosporous 
Myxosporidia. The discussion concerning spore formation in two vastly 
different groups of Myxosporidia, one infecting the tissues of the host and 
producing large cysts and the other living in the organ cavities of the host, 
was entirely omitted because of the recent appearance of papers (Erdmann, 
1917, 1917a, and Stempell, 1919) and also of my belief that what is at 
present known of different species of Myxosporidia is yet too small for this 
purpose. 
MATERIAL AND METHODS. 
The Rana clamitans Latreille studied by me were collected in small creeks 
in Spring Valley, New York, during the summer of T 920. The R.pipiens Schreber 
were bought from a Chicago supply store and their locality is unknown, except 
that they were collected from various places in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. 
Further consideration upon the occurrence and the relation between the 
Myxosporidian and the host animals will be given later. 
After studying the external characters, each frog was etherized and 
dissected. Smears of portions of the liver, 'spben, blood, gall bladder, muscle, 
kidney, urinary bladder, reproductive organ and wall of the digestive tract, 
were studied in physiological solution. Yh majority of R. clamitans have 
shown several protozoan blood parasites ii the circulatory system. In no 
