1. Saprospira graiidis Gross, 1911. (Mit- theil. Zool. Stat, zu Neapel, 20, 1911, 190.) gran'dis. L. adj. grandis large. Cylindrical, flexible, elastic, spiral -shaped rods, 1.2 by 80 microns, with obtuse ends. The waves are large, inconstant, shallow, irregular, 3 to 5 in number and sometimes almost straight. Spiral amplitude: 24 mi- crons. There is no evident a.xial filament and no crista; cross striations are present. There is a distinct membrane but no ter- minal spiral filament and no highly motile end portion. Multiplication is by transverse fission. The cells undergo trypsin digestion. Source: From the intestinal tract of an oyster. Habitat: Found free-living in foraminif- erous sand. 2. Saprospira punctuni Dimitroff, 1926. (Saprospira puncia (sic) Dimitroff, Jour. Bact., 12, 1926, 146.) punc'tum. L. noun punctum a point. Large spirals, 1 by 86 microns, with pointed ends. Spiral amplitude: 4 to 8 mi- crons; average number of turns: 3. There is no evident axial filament; cross striations are present. There is a distinct membrane. Multiplication is by transverse fission. Source: From oysters. 3. Saprospira lepta Dimitroff, 1926. (Jour. Bact., 12, 1926, 144.) lep'ta. Gr. adj. leptus fine, delicate. Large spirals, 0.5 by 70 microns, with pointed ends. Spiral amplitude: ranges from 5 to 13 microns; spiral width: varies from 1.6 to 4.8 microns; average number of turns: 6. There is no evident axial filament; cross striations are present. There is a dis- tinct membrane. Multiplication is by trans- verse fission. Comments: A variety which differs from the parent strain in the shape of the ends of the cells has been reported by Dimitroff (ibid., 145). Source: From oysters from Baltimore, Maryland. Genus III. Cristispira Gross, 1910. (Mittheil. Zool. Stat, zu Neapel, 20, 1910, 41.) Cris.ti .spi'ra. L. noun crista a crest; Gr. noun spira a spiral; M.L. fem.n. Cristispira crested-spiral. Flexuous cell bodies, in coarse spirals, 28 to 120 microns in length. Possess cross stria- tions and a crista, or thin membrane of varying prominence, on one side of the body ex- tending the entire length of the organism. Actively motile. Found in the intestinal tracts of molluscs. The type species is Cristispira balbianii (Certes) Gross. 1. Cristispira balbianii (Certes, 1882) Gross, 1912. {Trypanosoma balbianii Certes, Bull. Soc. Zool. de France, 7, 1882, 347; Gross, Cent. f. Bakt., I Abt., Orig., 65, 1912, 90.) bal.bi.a'ni.i. M.L. gen. noun balbianii of Balbiani; named for Balbiani. Cylindrical, flexible, elastic, spiral-shaped rods, 1 to 3 by 40 to 120 microns, with obtuse ends. The waves are large, irregular, shallow and 2 to 5 in number, sometimes more. Spiral amplitude: 8 microns; spiral depth: 1.6 mi- crons. There is no evident axial filament; cross striations are present. A crista, a ridge-like membrane, making one or two complete turns is present. There is a distinct membrane but no terminal spiral filament and no highly motile end portion. With re- spect to staining, the cell membrane behaves like chitin or cutin substance: it stains vio- let with Giemsa's solution and light gray with iron-hemotoxylin. The membrane is resistant to trypsin digestion, but the crista and the striations disappear. Bile salt (10 per cent) : Crista quicklj^ dis- solves. Saponin (10 per cent) : Crista becomes fibrillar then indistinct. Source: From the crystalline styles of oysters. Habitat: Parasitic in the alimentary tracts of shellfish.
