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Show 1891.] GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF SLUGS. 223 Europe, frequenting beech-woods, and often found at considerable altitudes above the sea. In Ireland it has developed a remarkable spotted race, maculatus, Roebuck. Limacopsis or Frauenfeldia is a group belonging to S.E. Europe, at present little known. (2) M A L A C O L I M A X , Malm.-A genus with six species intermediate in some respects between Limax and Agriolimax, belonging to the Western Palaearctic region. Mr. Pollonera has sent me 31. nyctelius, Bgt., from Algeria, and M. valentianus, Fer., from Barcelona. Mesolimax, Poll., founded on M. brauni, Poll., from Asia Minor, is somewhat similar, but more allied to true Limax. (3) A G R I O L I M A X , Morch.-This genus, differently from Limax, is exceedingly widely distributed, having apparently indigenous species in the Palaearctic, Ethiopian, Australian, Nearctic, and Neotropical regions. It is found, however, that all the species outside of the Palaearctic region resolve themselves into either (1) A. agrestis, L., of Europe, introduced, or (2) allies of the European A. Icevis, Miiller. Dr. Simroth is of the opinion that these numerous Icevis-aWies are all referable to the true A. Icevis; but I have examined a good many of them, and am confident that a few species of non-Palsearctic Agriolimax will have to be kept as valid. In North America I should regard A. campestris, Binn., as a species, with montanus, Ing., hgper-boreus, Wst., and occidentalis, Coop., as slight races of it. A. berendti, Strebel, of Central America, has a Californian race hemphilli (Limax hemphilli, W . G. Binn., 1890) ; this species resembles L. agrestis rather than campestris in its dentition. I shall have occasion to discuss the genus Agriolimax in detail at some future time, and so will not give further particulars here. (4) A M A L I A , Moq.-Consists of three sections :-Subamalia, Poll., with four reputed species from S.E. Europe; Tandonia, L. & P., with many species, all European, except one in Syria (concerning which see Ann. Mag. N. H., Oct. 1890); and Pirainea, L. & P., which is very well developed in the Mediterranean region, occurs throughout Western Europe and in the Atlantic Islands, and also at the Cape, in Brazil, in Juan Fernandez, in the Sandwich Islands, on the Pacific coast of North America, in N e w Caledonia, and in New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania. It seems to be native outside of the European region in North America (the Pacific coast only) and in New Zealand and Australia ; but its wide distribution elsewhere is no doubt largely due to accidental introduction by human means, Broadly speaking, Pirainea may be said to be cosmopolitan in damp temperate regions ; but I will not here give the distribution in detail, as I shall treat the group fully on another occasion. Prof. Ralph Tate in 1881 described two species of Amalia (as Milax) from the Australian region. A. tasmanica, from Tasmania, seems allied to the New-Zealand A. antipodarum, while A. nigricola, from Adelaide, South Australia, should be compared with A. maura (Q. & G.) from New South Wales. A. nigricola has been reported as A. nigricollis from Tasmania, but I believe erroneously. |