New Bat Trematodes of the Genera Plagiorchis, Limatulum, and Dicrocoelium

Up to the present time there have been described from the United States but two bat trematodes, Acanthatrium nycteridis Faust, 1919, from Lasiurus borealis borealis at Urbana, Illinois, and Distoma sp. Stiles and Hassall, 1894, from Lasiurus cinereus at Washington, D.C. Owing to this fact and to the interesting biological relationships between bat parasites and arthropod intermediate hosts, studies were undertaken on the parasites of our native bats. In the course of this work three previously undescribed species were found, one from the genus Plagiorchis taken from the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) and little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) of Minnesota and one each of the genera Limatulum and Dicrocoelium from little Mexican bats (Tadarida cynocephala) of Oklahoma. A paper by Stiles and Nolan (1931) which has very recently been issued, confirms the opinion that these are hitherto undescribed species, so it seems desirable to describe them at this time. To Dr. Wm. A. Riley I am particularly indebted for many helpful suggestions during the progress of this work.