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Description of a Herpetomonas parasitic in the alimentary tract of the common green-bottle fly, Lucilia sp

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

C. Strickland
Affiliation:
(From the Quick Laboratory, Cambridge.)

Extract

1. The parasite described inhabits the alimentary tract of two species of Lucilia. In addition it has a resting stage—the ‘cyst’—which is passed in the voided excrement of the insect.

2. When the cyst is ingested by a fly it grows in length and becomes flagellated in the ‘crop’; in the midgut it greatly elongates and multiplies rapidly by division; in the hindgut it first shortens, then becomes spherical, and finally oval and cyst-like, meanwhile losing its flagellum.

3. The cysts measure 3 μ, the fully flagellate forms 20 μ, in length.

4. The cysts possess a cytostome and cytopharynx, the functions of which are probably nutritive.

5. The flagellum consists of two parts (i) a cytoplasmic part, which probably subserves the power of movement and which I therefore propose to call the kinetoplasm, and (ii) a thread of chromatin secreted by the rhizoplast.

6. The function of the chromatin in the flagellum is probably to sustain a filamentous form.

7. The nucleus divides by a definite process something akin to mitosis.

8. The chromidia serve as reserve material for the supply of chromatin in the cell. They are secreted probably by cell-plastids.

9. I propose the name of this parasite be Herpetomonas luciliae, and that the genus Herpetomonas should be defined so as to include the forms described as Leptomonas.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1911

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References

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