Dr. Kassai Tibor - Dr. Murai Éva szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 9. (Budapest, 1976)
glottids and 60-110 x 100-135 a in hermaphroditic ones. The cirrus sac either extends up to the level of the excretory duct or just intersects it, its sizes are ranging from 90 x 30 to 190 x 50 u depending on the age of the proglottid. Internal and external seminal vesicle are both present, measuring 30 x 50 to 50 x 100 and 40 x 80 to 45 x 155 u, respectively. The compact, elongated ovary is centrally placed, ranging in size from 35 x 180 to 70 x 320 u. The vitelline gland is found either along the midline or slightly aporally beneath the ovary; it measures 25 x 50 to 30 x 90 u. The vagina opens into the genital atrium behind the cirrus sac, forming there a bulky seminal receptacle. The latter extends over 40-45% of the proglottid's width and its dimensions are ranging from 55 x 110 - 180 x 340 u (Fig. 19). The uterus fills the entire medullary parenchyme in the mature proglottid; it is saccular and divided into two compartments, similar in structure to the uterus of Hymenolepis fraterna (Stiles, 1906) (Figs. 20 and 21). The eggs are oval, 50 x 63 ju in size, the embryo measures 34 x 28 u, and the embryonal hooks are 16-17 u long. Remarks : SPASSKY (1954) reclassified the species Hymenolepis acuta (Rudolphi, 1819) with the genus Staphylocystis Villot, 1877, and YAMAGUTI (1959) actuaUy listed it with that genus in his catalogue. The species Dicranotaenia syrdariensis (Skarbilovitsch, 1946) was also classified into the above genus by the authors cited. The present writer holds the view that neither H. acuta, nor D. syrdariensis find their correct systematic position in the Staphylocystis genus, which comprises the hymenolepidid species parasitizing in shrews. In view of their main morphological features (crown of many fraternoid hooks on a well developed rostellum, two pairs of excretory ducts, presence of both internal and external seminal vesicle, bulky seminal receptacle, etc. ) these species clearly belong to the genus Vampirolepis Spassky, 1954, and for this reason the present writer has reclassified them accordingly. Several authors (BENEDEN, 1873; BLANCHARD, 1891; PARONA, 1893) concerned with bat parasites in the past century had demonstrated the occurrence of H. acuta in certain bats indigenous in Europe (M. nattereri, N, noctula, M. schreibersi, P. auritus, Vespertilio murinus, Pipistrellus pipistreUus), untill early in this century LENSTOW (1904) presented a satisfactory redescription of the species characters (shape, 28-42 in number, 39 u in length of hooks; three testes in one line, egg diameter 52 u, embryo 26x31 u in size). Two years later JANICKI (1906) described proglottids misjudged as of H, acuta from a Vespertilio lasiopterus host; his otherwise excellent description was based on a 30 mm long detail of strobila ("Mir lagen nur Bruchstücke vor" - "only fragments were available") devoid of scolex. He stated that the testes were not in a line, but one was poral, and two were aporal, the latter being one above the other. Reports on H. acuta have been scanty since JANICKI's exposition. JOYEUX and BAER (1936) dealt with the species in the volume "Cestodes" of the series "Faune de France", and since the JOYEUX collection comprised only a single destrobilated specimen recovered from an Eptesicus serotinus host in March, these authors obviously relied on JANICKI's (1906) description for the position of the testes, because they ordered H, acuta among the species with testes located in a triangular pattern. Ever since either the old data have been resorted to in the reports related to H. acuta (STILES and NOLAN, 1931; VIGUERAS, 1941; SOLTYS, 1959) or deficient data have been presented in support of its occurrence (e.g. CHIRIAC and BARBU, 1963). In the meantime several new species of hymenolepidid bat parasites, having three testes arranged in a line, and fraternoid hooks approx. 40 ju in length, have been described in different countries ( V. rysavyi Tenora et Barus, 1960; V. roudabushi Macy et Rausch, 1946; V. skrjabinariana Skarbilovitsch, 1946). There are three species of similar morphology ( V. christensoni Macy, 1931; V. multiFigs. 10-15: Vampirolepis baeri sp. n. : 10= scolex; 11= hooks; 12= hermaphroditic proglottids; 13= genital atrium and uterus; 14= proglottids containing eggs; 15= terminal proglottids (No. 11 in BERLESE medium) (Photo Murai)
