NOTES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME PARASITIC HELMINTHS 467 
Host. Hippopotamus amphibius. 
Location. Stomach. 
Locality. Lake Edward, Central Africa, April 17, 1927. 
Specimens. Males and females, Cat. No. 8014, U.S.N.M., Helm. Coll. 
The above description is based upon material collected and preserved sepa- 
rately from two hippopotamuses. The parasites, of which about twenty worms 
were collected from each animal, appear to be identical, but the material in one 
tube only was in reasonably good condition for study; because of the fixation the 
material from the second animal could not be cleared to show the internal anat- 
omy. ‘The species was first recorded and briefly described by Leiper ! (1910), 
who collected it from a hippopotamus shot in the Uganda and named it Nemato- 
dirus hopkent. Leiper’s description is unfortunately incomplete, and the dia- 
grams accompanying the description are not accurate enough in certain details 
to be of service for the identification of the parasite. The shape of the spicules, 
however, is so distinctive that although the range of the present material is 
slightly larger than shown by Leiper’s figures, there can be little, if any, doubt 
that we are concerned with the same species. Leiper described the bursa of the 
male as being devoid of a posterior or dorsal lobe and its supporting dorsal ray. 
This discrepancy from the present description can be accounted for by the fact 
that this organ, although it must be constantly present, is inconspicuous. It 
was exposed and visible in only two of the four male specimens examined. In 
preparing the description presented above, a number of significant points of 
divergence were found distinguishing the species from the twelve or more species 
of the genus Nematodirus, and calling for a reconsideration of the taxonomic 
status of the worms. One of the most outstanding differences concerns the spic- 
ules, which in their filiform shape and membranous union are a constant feature 
of all other species of Nematodirus. The inclusion of ‘“‘N. hopkeni”’ in the genus 
breaks the natural homogeneity of the spicule character and, particularly if 
other significant morphological differences could be found to support the action, 
it would be advisable to remove the species N. hopkeni from the genus Nemato- 
dirus. A comparison of ‘‘N. hopkeni”’ with other described species of Nemato- 
dirus provides the following additional points of departure: 



““N. hopkenv”’ Other species of Nematodirus 


ies Cuticle Of Dekd,. .kccwiesue < ae INSOt) TMG cia. stargate hw she yo Inflated. 
2. Position of excretory pore...| At level of nerve ring.......... Opposite extremity of esophagus. 
SPC IOC INCRE» WN ee aden care he |! COL WY) AUD. vn ae dy ee eek Be 95u to 230u by 70u to 1104 
4. Shape of tail in female...... OMOIC ais. stn Mad Helse neni Truncated, with terminal spike- 
like process. 
5. Dorsal lobe of bursa........ Very reduced. Simple in outline.| Larger with indented margin. 




These differences are of greater than specific magnitude and warrant the re- 
moval of ‘‘N. hopkeni”’ from the genus Nematodirus. I propose creating for its 
reception the new generic name Lezperiatus in honor of the original describer of 
the parasite. 
1 Leiper, R. T.: The entozoa of the Hippopotamus. Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1910), pp. 283-251. 
