Studies on monocystid gregarines

Abstract

Dujardin (1835) was the first to describe an adult gregarine occurring in an earthworm. This description contains illustrations of a typical Nematocystis species (Dujardin's Text-figs. B1-B7 and C1 and C2). Subsequent workers made many other observations, but it was Hesse (1909) who first carried out a comprehensive study of these parasites. It was Hesse's excellent work which laid the foundation for succeeding students of the group, the more important of whom are Cognetti de Martiis (1911, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927), Berlin (1923, 1924), Bhatia (1924, 1924b, 1929, 1930), Bhatia & Setna (1926), Setna (1927), Bhatia & Chatterjee (1925), Troisi (1933, 1940), Tuzet & Loubatières (1946, 1948) and Loubatières (1947, 1948, 1949). Hesse gave a good historical resumé of the work carried out until 1909, while Loubatières (1949) has given a complete and very useful resumé of the work since.