The schistosome transmitting molluscs, Physopsis africana and Biomphalaria tanganikanus, from the Belgian Congo, carried the metacercaria of Echinoparyphium recurvatum and of Echinostoma revolutum, which have been recorded for the first time from the Southern half of the African Continent. Further research may indicate their wider distribution in this Continent.

Development of the larval stages and heavy encystment of the metacercaria of these echinostomes in the schistosome transmitting molluscs led to death of the snails. The use of other trematode species, particularly echinostomes may offer great prospects in the field control of schistosome transmitting molluscs.

A large number of cestodes from the intestines of sheep and goats were collected from the slaughter houses in and around Lyallpur city of West Pakistan in the begining of 1965 and preserved in separate containers in connection with some other work. On examination of the collection made from goats, a specimen was found which had the characteristics of genus Moniezia but was not referable to the species so far described. On further examination two complete specimens were isolated from the collection and stained after fixation under moderate pressure.

Brood capsules having scolices on their outer wall were observed many times in hydatid cysts of buffaloes from India.

Echinonema cinctum is redescribed and referred to the Superfamily Seuratoidea: Seuratinema brevicaudatum is redescribed and the genus Seuratinema is provisionally accepted.

2. The structure of the head in several species of the Seuratoidea is described and it is shown that the mouth opening is bilaterally symmetrical in Seuratinema and Seuratum.

3. After a discussion on the developmental origins of the nematode head it is pointed out that all the labial structures in the Camallanidae and the Spiruroidea arise from a region of secondary elongation, i.e. from a cheilostome, while the paired jaws in the Cucullanidae arise as a modification of the oesophagus, i.e. are an oesophastome. As a consequence the family Cucullanidae is referred to the Seuratoidea : Ascaridida while the Camallanidae are left in the Spirurida.

By means of egg counts, faecal cultures and post-mortem examinations of sheep the course of an infestation of Ostertagia circumcincta was followed from March until the following January in a flock of 100 twelve-months-old wethers at Wellington, N.S.W. The highest adult infestations and egg counts occurred in March and January, while during the winter months there was a continual accumulation of inhibited fourth stage larvae in the abomasal mucosa. The data suggest that the adult population observed in January arose from the inhibited population observed during the previous winter and that one of the factors controlling the development of the inhibited population was larval intake.

The Sheathbill is a distinctive bird breeding on the islands of the Scotia Arc and the Graham Land peninsula, and regularly occurring north to the Falkland Islands, the Magellanic Islands and the Atlantic coast of Argentina (Jones, 1963). Rather surprisingly no cestodes have previously been recorded or described from this bird.

The following account describes Nototaenia fileri gen. et sp. nov. and Lateriporus ausiralis n.sp. from two of 13 adult Sheathbills collected on Signy Island in July and October 1965 by Mr Charles Howie of the British Antarctic Survey, preserved in deep-freeze, and later entrusted to us for examination.

1. The pathology of Stephanofilaria kaeli lesions is described from the legs of cattle in Malaya.

2. The possible modes of transmission of the parasite are discussed based on the pathology.

3. A comparison is made between the pathology of Stephanofilaria kaeli lesions and those produced by other species of Stephanofilaria.

The results are given of the preliminary screening of many organic compounds and pesticides and of a few inorganic compounds on the eggs of T. hydatigena and T. ovis.

Over fifty of these chemicals had little, if any, effect on activity or on hatching, the majority of the others had only an insignificant effect. Moreover, many of the most effective were hindered by the protection of proglottids. Furthermore, some could not be used in practice.

1. Haplorchis taichui H. yokogawai and Stictodora manilensis are recorded for the first time in India from dogs.

2. H. helerophyes from Indian cats are very much smaller than those recorded from dogs.

3. A technique has been described to study the chitinous armature of the gonotyl in heterophyid trematodes.

Single experimental infections of 8 to 12 week old calves with 200 to 15,000 metacercariae are described. It is shown that as the level of metacercariae infection rises the numbers of fluke reaching and persisting in the bile ducts fall. In the higher infections the majority of the flukes are trapped and eliminated in the parenchyma and clinical disease does not develop. In lower infection levels the majority of the flukes reach the bile ducts and clinical disease develops.

Experiments are described in which calves were given 200 metacercariae and then a challenge infection of 300 metacercariae. When the challenge infection was given 3 weeks after the initial infection a small but insignificant reduction in take was observed. When the challenge infection followed 18 weeks after the initial infection, the existing infection was eliminated. This phenomenon is referred to as an “acquired self cure”.

The material of this study consists of three monogenetic trematodes which were collected in mid August, I960 from the urinary bladder of Rana (Ptychadena) oxyrhynchus caught in Kumba, the Cameroons (West Africa). Mr. F. R. N. Pester, F.I.S.T., of the Department of Parasitology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine kindly forwarded the material to the writer for identification.

The specimens are all identical, belonging to a new species of the genus Polystoma Zeder, 1800 which is described herein as Polystoma Prudhoei sp. nov. in honour of Mr. S. Prudhoe of the Department of Zoology, the British Museum (Natural History) for his unfailing help and advice.

1. The anatomy of Apharyngostrigea (Apharyngostrigea) simplex (Johnston, 1904) new comb, from young cattle egrets is described in detail, involving the reconstruction of its internal organisation from serial sections.

2. The relationships of the species within the genus Apharyngostrigea Ciurea, 1927 is discussed using the method of Numerical Taxonomy by Sneath and Sokal (1902). It is found that the original genus can be split into two genera. The genus Apharyngostrigea comprises two subgenera; Apharyngostrigea (Apharyngostrigea) n. subgen. and A. (Brasiliana) n. subgen. made up of seven species groups. The generic diagnosis of Apharyngostrigea Ciurea, 1927 and Chaseostrigea n. gen. are given as well as a key for separating the species of the genus Apharyngostrigea.

Eight species of the nematode genus Capillaria Zeder, 1800 are described from fifteen species of avian hosts. All but two of the host records are new for the species concerned. One species, C, longifila, is fully described for the first time. The results are discussed in relation to the systematics of avian capillariids.

Williams and Chaytor (1966) reported the presence of encysted strigeid trematode larvae on the muscles and liver of Epiplatys sexfasciatus and E. senegalensis collected from a stream at Hastings, Sierra Leone. Out of 253 fishes examined 89 or 35% were infected with the parasite.

The parasites when fed to day-old chicks or cattle egrets gave rise to adults which were identified as Posthodiplostomutn nanum Dubois, 1937.

1. A number of frogs (Petropedates natator) from a stream at Mount Aureol, Freetown, Sierra Leone were found to be infected with two species of trematodes in the intestine and one species of trematode in the lung.

2. One of the trematodes from the intestine is considered to be a new species and named Plenrogenoides peiropedatis and the trematode from the lung is considered to be a new subspecies and named Haematoloechus (Haematoloechus) variegatus leonensis.