Mesocestoides corti, a New Species of Cestode from the Mouse

Abstract

A number of cestodes from a specimen of the common house mouse, Mus musculus, which were collected by Dr. W. W. Cort in 1909 at Colorado Springs, Colorado, were examined by me and proved to belong to a new species of the genus Mesocestoides. To this form I will give the name Mesocestoides corti n. sp. Recently Cameron (1925) has given a review of this genus and described two new species. The genus Mesocestoides was erected by Vaillant in 1863 to include a species of cestode which he described from Viverra genetta as M. ambiguus. The fact that the validity of Vaillant's species is in doubt and that there is considerable confusion in regard to the identity of the various species which have been assigned to the genus Mesocestoides made it necessary to review carefully the available literature on this group. While final judgment on the relationship of these forms can only be passed by one who has the opportunity to study material of the different species, it has seemed worth while in connection with the description of the species to review the present state of knowledge of the group.