A ee 
BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY DESIRES SPECIMENS OF PARASITIC 
WORMS FOUND IN INSECTS. IN COMPLIANCE WITH DR. MOHLER'S 
REQUEST IN THE FOLLOWING LETTER, BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY 
EMPLOYEES ARE URGED TO SEND IN SUCH MATERIAL THROUGH 
DIVISION CHIEFS. 
May 11, 1931. 
Drea eL. Marlatt, 
Bureau of Entomology. 
Dear Doctor Marlatt: 
Recent studies have been rapidly lengthening the list of arthro-— 
pods found to serve as intermediate hosts of parasitic worms and it seems 
evident that hundreds of insects will be incriminated as hosts in the 
course of time. In this connection it has seemed possible that of the 
many workers on insects in the Bureau of Entomology some of those who 
have occasion to dissect insects must find in them parasitic worms and 
would be willing to salvage these if they thought that they would be of 
value to anyone. This Bureau would appreciate it if you would bring this 
matter to the attention of the entomologists in the Bureau of Entomology, 
with the suggestion that any worms found in insects, or anything suspec— 
ted of being a worm, might be dropped in a vial of 5 per cent formaldehyde 
with a slip showing the host insect, the location of the worm, the local-— 
ity, the collector, and the date of collection, and mailed to the Bureau 
of Animal Industry. If this could be done it is quite possible that find— 
ings of considerable scientific interest would come from it and that these 
findings would not only assist us in our work, but also be of value in 
showing the importance of insects and the need for control measures for 
insects. Insects breeding on land will be hosts in many cases for lar= 
val nematodes and tapeworms and those found in water, such as the dragon-— 
flies, will be hosts for larval flukes as well. 
in addition to the isopods and the numerous crustaceans found 
in water, the arthropod hosts of worms include Anoplura, Coleoptera, 
Dermaptera, Diptera, Ephemerida, Hemiptera, Isoptera, Lepidoptera, 
Mallophaga, Neuroptera, Odonata, Orthoptera, Pleccptera, Siphonaptera, 
Thysanura and Trichoptera. To the arthropod hosts should be added the 
Myriapoda and Arachnida. 
Any assistance that you give in this connection will be appreci-. 
ated. Any nematodes found which were strictly insect parasites and not 
larval stages of parasites of higher animals would be sent to the Of ae 
of Nematology for Dr. Cobb's consideration. 
Very truly yours, 
J. Re Mohler, 
Chief of Bureau. 
