Dr. Murai Éva szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 20. (Budapest, 1987)

deep, reaching up to initial proglottides. Rostellar hooks arranged regularly in two rows; anterior hooks differ from posterior ones in their shape: anterior hooks with blade 0.0750.088 (av. 0.084, n = 7) and handle 0. 045-0. 050 (av. 0.048, n=7) long; posterior hooks with blade 0. 080-0. 086 (av. 0.083, n=7) and handle 0. 055-0. 059 (av. 0.056, n=7) long. Genital pores unilateral, situated in middle of lateral margin of proglottides. Genital ducts dorsally to excretory canals (n= 12). Ventral excretory canals 0.004-0.008 (av. 0.006, n=8) wide, with anastomoses. Dorsal excretory canals 0.001-0.003 (av. 0.002, n=10)wide. Strobila protandrous. Testes 4 (n = 39), in rare cases 3 (n=3); they develop before female genitalia and disappear with the development of vitellarium and ovary; situated posteriorly to the primordium of the female gonads. Vas deferens 0.009-0. 018 (av. 0.013, n = 8) wide, forming 1-3 whorls externally to cirrus sac and 1-2 whorls in it. Cirrus sac highly elongate, in mature proglottides reaching almost up to aporal excretory canals. Cirrus very short and thin, in evaginated position measures 0. 009-0.012x0.002 (n = 2); unarmed. Vagina opening dorsally to male orifice and passing dorsally and then posteriorly to cirrus sac; very thin-walled and in many proglottides not well seen. Seminal receptacle elongate, directed porally, with dimensions 0.068-0.098x0.020-0.030 (av. 0.088x0.026, n=5). Mehlis' gland not distinct. Vitellarium situated medially; compact, round; well developed with disappearing of testes. Ovary consistings of four lobes situated anteriorly to vitellarium and forming different configuration. Uterus sac-like, begins its development as a thin-walled sac situated anteriorly to vitellarium; with the development of eggs it fills almost the whole proglottis and then has well visible walls. Eggs spheric or subspheric. Embryonal hooks three pairs with equal shape and length. Remarks: The present results are in good agreement with the original description of K. yorkei (Kotlán, 1923). There are only some unessential metric differences (see Table 1). KOTLÁN (1923) noted: "In phylogenetic aspects it seems doubtless that the three forms, but particularly D. yorkei, are very old representatives of the genus Dilepis, and might be perhaps interpreted as a distinct group within the genus. " Later on, although the species is known only on the basis of its type specimens, with the further development of the system of the fam. Dilepididae and with the erection of new genera for the species of the heterogeneous genus Dilepis, the generic position of K. yorkei was discussed by many authors. Its position in Oligorchis Fuhrmann, 190 6, as it was proposed by MAYHEW (1925, cited after FREEMAN, 1954) and after him accepted by many authors (for references see FREEMAN, 1954), has only historical value because K. yorkei belongs to fam. Dilepididae whereas Oligorchis includes representatives of the fam. Hymenolepididae (see FREEMAN, 1954; SCHMIDT, 1986). Independently, FREEMAN (1954) and SPASSKY (1954) placed K. yorkei in the genus Paradi- lepis Hsü, 1935. This opinion was followed by YAMAGUTI (1959), MATHEVOSSIAN (1963) and SCHMIDT (1986). BAER and BONA (1958-1960) and BONA (1975) analyzed the composition of the genus Paradilepis and emphasized that K. yorkei is clearly distinct from Paradi- lepis spp. from-fish-eating birds and cannot be placed in this genus. They also noticed that its probable life-cycle is principally different from the life-cycles of cestodes of fish-eating birds. SPASSKY (1965) also concluded that K. yorkei cannot be related to Paradilepis because this genus includes cestodes having as intermediate hosts fresh-water fishes which have no trophic connections with Megapodiidae. The present results provide some substantial morphological differences between K. yorkei and the species of Paradilepis (for characteristics of Paradilepis see BONA, 1975): (1) all the species of Paradilepis have 20 rostellar hooks while the type species of Kotlanolepis is armed with about 50 hooks; (2) the testes of Paradilepis spp. are situated dorsally and laterally to the female genitalia whereas K. yorkei is protandrous and its testes are posteriorly to primordium of ovary and vitellarium; (3) Paradilepis spp. are characterized by a very massive cirrus armed with strong spines; in contrast, the cirrus of K. yorkei is very short, thin and unarmed; (4) the cirrus sac of K.