A NEW PARASITE OF THE FAMILY ACANTHOCOI
         PIDAE LUHE, 1909, FROM AN INDIAN HOST

                                          BY

                  HAR DAYAL SRIVASTAVA, D.Sc.

                     Helminthologist (On special duty)

Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar-Kumaun.

            (Received for publication on 25th March 1938).

                                  (With Plate XVII).

                Genus.— Echinostephanus Yamaguti, 1934.
                              Echinostephanus cloacum, n. sp.
                Host— Latex calcarifer.
                Habitat—Intestine.
                Locality—Karachi and Puri.

IT is a common parasite infesting the intestine of a food-fish found in the
Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. In the living state the parasite is light-
brown in colour and possesses considerable power of contraction and expan-
sion. The body is linear with a slightly attenuated neck and a rounded pos-
terior end. It measures 6.12—8.92* in length and 0.6—0.8 in maximum
breadth which occurs usually at the level of the acetabulum. Usually the
body has a nearly uniform breadth. The spines on the body are fairly large
and have slightly hooked tips and triangular base. In the anterior region
of the body of the parasite the spines measure 0.02—0.03 × 0.004 in
size, but they become smaller in size and are fewer towards the
hind end. Around the anterior end there are thirty-four cephalic spines,
arranged in double alternating rows dorsally and in a single row
ventrally and laterally. The spines in the dorsal rows are slightly larger than
the rest and measure 0.057—0.061 × 0.015—0.019 in size. The cephalic
spines on the ventral and lateral sides are of 0.045—0.05 × 0.015—0.019
size. The funnel shaped oval sucker 0.12—0.14 × 0.22—0.3 in size is
anteriorly directed and bears the prominent oral spines described above. The
oval sucker is followed by a prepharynx 0.5—0.6 long, and an oval pharynx
0.22—0.28 × 0.2—0.22 in size. The oesophagus is extremely short and
in the contracted specimens it is hardly visible. The caeca are long and
simple and open at the hind end into the lateral sides of the excretory
bladder near its opening to the exterior. The acetabulum has a diameter
measuring 0.34 and is situated at about the middle of the anterior third of
the body length.

*All measurements are in mm.

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