Earring (& Myers—Rotifer Fauna of Wisconsin — II. 521 
HESTICULA NYSSA Harring and Myers, new species. 
Plate XXXVIII, figures 1-4. 
The body is elongate, spindle-shaped or subcylindric and very 
slender; its greatest width is only one sixth of the total length. 
The integument is very flexible and the outline changes with the 
contortions of the animal. The body is transparent. 
The head segment is rounded anteriorly and this portion is sep¬ 
arated from the head proper by a slight constriction; it corre¬ 
sponds to the rostrum of other Notommatids. The length of the 
neck segment is a little greater than its width; the transverse folds 
limiting it anteriorly and posteriorly are well marked. The ab¬ 
domen is very nearly cylindric; it is longitudinally striate and has 
three indistinct, transverse folds. The tail is quite prominent, 
short and very broad. The foot has two very short, broad joints 
of about equal length. The toes have a large basal, bulbous en¬ 
largement, similar to, but smaller than R. melandocus; the poste¬ 
rior half is conical, acute and slightly decurved. A very faint 
transverse line separates the basal bulb and the clawlike tip of 
the toes; their length is about one twentieth of the total length. 
The dorsal antenna is a small setigerous papilla in the normal 
position; the lateral antennae have not been observed. 
The corona is virtually ventral and consists of a simple, evenly 
ciliated oval area without any auricles or any cilia specialized for 
swimming. The mouth is near the posterior edge. 
The mastax is virgate with modiflcations adapting it for pre¬ 
hension. The fulcrum is long and slender, slightly incurved and 
expanded at the posterior end for the attachment of the muscles 
of the piston. The rami are roughly triangular in ventral view 
and have large asymmetric alulae. The basal apophysis is very 
prominent; above this there is a large oval ventral opening be¬ 
tween the rami. At the apex of the rami there are three or four 
very small teeth, traceable for some distance from the inner edges 
of the rami as faint striae. The dorsal portion of the rami is 
marked with a marginal band of fine, closely spaced, convergent 
striae; near the dorsal tips there appears to be complete fusion 
of the rami. The unci have two teeth each; the ventral tooth is 
well developed, but not clubbed at the tip. The second tooth is 
strongly curved and only half the length of the main tooth; it 
rests in a well marked depression or socket in the ramus and evi¬ 
dently serves only as a hinge for the entire malleus. Five acces- 
