SPECIAL PROTOZOOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE BLOOD 493 
West Coast of Africa was by A. and M. Leger! who described a parasite in the 
blood of Epomophorus franqueti. These authors identified their organism with 
Plasmodium pteropi, a parasite of Pleropus gouldi, a flying fox of West Aus- 
tralia. The plasmodium of Petalia grandis does not seem to correspond with any 
of the forms mentioned but in the present incomplete knowledge of the subject 
we do not feel justified in creating a new species. 
PLASMODIA OF THE LIZARD, Agama colonorum 
Wenyon? in the Sudan was the first observer to report the presence of a 
pigmented organism in the red blood cells of the lizard Agama colonorum. At 
that time he placed this organism in the genus Haemoproteus, but as the 
knowledge concerning pigmented parasites of cold-blooded animals increased, 
it became obvious that it should be placed in the genus Plasmodium. The 
name for the parasite therefore became Plasmodium agamae (Wenyon, 1909). 
Todd and Wolbach * (1912) recorded the occurrence of a pigmented haemo- 
eytozoon in a lizard (Agama colonorum) which may be the same parasite. Mac- 
fie * in Nigeria also saw a pigmented parasite in the lizard. 
In the interior of Liberia the lizard Agama colonorum is extremely numerous. 
Microscopical examination of the blood showed that approximately half of 
these lizards are infected with a pigmented parasite. Study of these organisms 
showed that there are in reality two species, one of which corresponds to Plas- 
modium agamae Wenyon, and another very much larger. The difference be- 
tween these two was so distinct that we have no doubt that we are dealing 
with two species. We propose therefore to call the large species Plasmodium 
giganteum n. sp. 
Plasmodium agamae Wenyon 
This organism was very common in Gbanga, Liberia. Sometimes it was 
present alone; at other times in conjunction with Plasmodium giganteum. All 
stages of the asexual cycle were usually present, though in some lizards only 
the gametocytes were seen. The young schizonts were usually situated toward 
one end of the red blood corpuscles. The mature schizonts usually had six 
nuclei. The gametocytes are elongated, halteridium-like bodies, lying beside 
the nucleus. The host-cell was not altered in any respect, though sometimes 
the nucleus of the red blood cell appeared to be pushed aside slightly (No. 
401, Figs. 8-12). 
2) Y i / 
Plasmodium giganteum, n. sp. 
This parasite was observed in the blood from several specimens of Agama 
colonorum. It was quite a rare parasite compared with P. agamae. The com- 
plete asexual cycle as well as the gametocytes were studied in smears made 
from the heart blood taken from the lizard immediately after death. 
1 Leger, A. and M.: C. R. Soe. Biol. (1914), LX XVII, 399. 
2 Wenyon, C. M.: Third Report Wellcome Trop. Res. Lab., Khartoum (1908). 
3 Todd, J. L. and Wolbach, S. B.: Jour. Med. Res. (1912), XX VI, 195. 
4 Macfie, J. W. S.: Ann. Trop. Med. and Parasit. (1914), VIII, 439. 
