1. Dirofilaria aethiops Webber, 1955 has been discovered in African monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops). Adult worms were found in the interfascicular connective tissue, especially in the thighs; microfilariae were found in the blood.2. The adult worms are morphologically similar to other members of the genus, from which they differ principally in the structure of the spicules of the male worms. The thickening of the left spicule is complex at the twist; the latter is nearer to the proximal than to the distal end. The right spicule is robust and ends in a cap-like structure.3. The microfilariae are indistinguishable from those of other members of the genus.4. In Dirofilaria schoutedeni Vuylsteke & Rodhain, 1938 the left spicule is simpler in structure than the left spicule of D. aethiops, and the twist is nearer to the distal end than to the proximal end. The distal part of the right spicule of D. schoutedeni has longitudinal markings but no cap.5. D. aethiops has been recorded from Tanganyika, Uganda and Gambia, in Cercopithecus and Colobus monkeys.6. The anatomy of the female D. aethiops, as it is shown in serial sections, is briefly described.
1. A description is given of the morphological development of the larval stages of Dirofilaria aethiops in the mosquito Aëdes aegypti.2. The first-stage larvae migrate from the stomach to the connective tissue in all parts of the mosquito body, where they pass through the inactive ‘sausage’ stages. At 26° C. and 80% relative humidity the first moult takes place about the twelfth day of development and the second moult about the sixteenth day. The third-stage larvae migrate towards the proboscis where they can be found after 18–20 days.3. The number of microfilariae ingested by the mosquito is approximately equal to the number which would be expected from the numbers in the blood of the monkey and the volume of the blood meal. The death rate of the larvae in the mosquitoes is very high for the first 2 days, but less severe later. Approximately 1% of the ingested microfilariae survive 20 days; at this time two-thirds of the surviving larvae have reached the third stage.4. Comparison of D. aethiops with other filariae shows that first-stage larvae of different species can often be distinguished by the structure of the tail, which is the same as that of the microfilaria. Second-stage larvae are similar to each other in morphology but develop in characteristic sites in the host. Third-stage larvae differ from each other in the cephalic and caudal papillae.
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