On the environment ofPolymorphus minutus(Acanthocephala) in ducks

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Abstract
Crompton & Harrison (1965) complied from the literature a list of 84 species of bird which have been reported to be final hosts ofPolymorphus minutusand since then, the parasite has been found in the American White-winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi) and the Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea) by Schmidt (1965) and Avery (1966) respectively. Unless detailed investigations are undertaken, there is no way of knowing how many of these birds from true hosts in whichP. minutuscan reproduce successfully.P. minutushas also been reported from the muskrats (Ondata zibethica) which Golvan (1961) considered to be an accidental host and I have recovered seven living specimens ofP. minutus48 h after forcibly feeding 20 cystacanths of the parasite contained inGammarus pulexto a female Wistar rat. The seven worms were firmly attached to the rat's intestinal wall and all were located in the posterior half of the intestine.