1922.] 
Natural-history Notes. 
315 
NATURAL-HISTORY NOTES. 
On the Occurrence of a Parasitic Copepod on the New Zealand Ling, 
by W. J. Phillipps, F.L.S., F.R.G.S., Dominion Museum. 
Mr. Dore, of the Bacteriological Department, Wellington, recently 
secured a ling, Genyptems blacodes (Bloch and Schneider), caught by a 
hand-line at Lyall Bay and badly infected with very peculiar parasitic 
copepods. The ling itself was between 4 ft. 6 in. and 
5 ft. in length, and the body was extremely emaciated. 
Some seven copepods projected externally from the sides 
of the body, while three smaller examples were seen on 
the gills, all of which were identical with Sphyrion 
laevigatum Cuvier* as described and figured by Thomson]* 
under the name of Lesteira Jcroyeri. Two specimens 
(females) have been handed to me for description. 
The individuals each consist of a transversely elongated 
head, a long cylindrical neck, and an expanded and 
vertically flattened, heart-shaped genital segment which 
supports two long filiform egg-tubes and two large bunches 
of coralline-like appendages. The head is large and len¬ 
ticular, shaped with the long axis transverse to the 
vertical plane of the body, and has eight gristle-like, 
irregular, and three-layered protuberances, which radiate 
from a central portion surrounding the mouth. The two 
extreme lateral protuberances are each divided into two 
circular heads. 
The whole of the head, the mouth-parts, and about 
2 mm. to 3 mm. of the neck, which joins the head to the 
genital segment, are below the skin, while the remainder 
of the neck and the whole of the genital organs protrude 
externally from the body of the fish. From the posterior 
ventral margin of the genital segment, which somewhat 
resembles a bean in shape and colour, two bunches of 
coralline-like appendages approximately the size of the 
genital segment project backwards. The oviferous tubes 
arise from the dorsal and posterior margin of the genital 
segment, and extend backwards to twice or over twice 
the length of the remainder of the body. 
The following are the measurements of the two 
specimens :— 
No. 1.—Total length, 130 mm. (inclusive of oviferous 
tubes) ; head, 48 mm. by 14 mm. ; neck, 12 mm. ; genital 
segment, 21 mm. by 15 mm. ; oviferous tubes, 90 mm. 
No. 2.—Total length, 128 mm. (exclusive of head and anterior part of 
neck still in body) ; projecting portion of neck, 8 mm. ; genital segment, 
16 mm. by 25 mm. ; oviferous tubes, 104 mm. 
Thomson]* has given the following dimensions : Total length (exclusive 
of the oviferous tubes), 70 mm. ; neck, 12 mm. ; genital segment, 20 mm. 
by 25 mm. ; head, 55 mm. by 20 mm. ; length of oviferous tubes, 60 mm. 
Sphyrion laeviga¬ 
tum. in natural 
position on the 
side of the body 
of the ling. 
(Example de¬ 
signated No. 2.) 
* P. W. Bassett-Smith, A Systematic Description of Parasitic Copepoda found on 
Fishes, with an Enumeration of the Known Species, Proc. Zool. Soc. for the Year 1899, 
pp. 438-507, pi. xxvi (ref. to p. 489). 
t G. M. Thomson, Parasitic Copepoda of New Zealand, with Descriptions of New 
Species, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 22, pp. 353-76, pis. xxv-xxix, 1890 (ref. to p. 370). 
