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Show 1886.] DR. A. G. BOURNE ON INDIAN EARTHWORMS. 671 Moniligaster has been described as being devoid of any clitellum. In, at any rate, one of m y species the clitellum is, however, very well marked, so that this cannot be taken as a generic character. The genus is, however, sufficiently characterized by the four pores situated in pairs between somites vii. and viii., and x. and xi., respectively, by the peculiar arrangement of the generative organs, and by the monilated gizzard. It is often exceedingly difficult to determine the exact position of the gizzard, and I believe that its position may vary by a somite in different individuals of the same species; still there is no doubt that in some cases it will serve as a specific character-e. g. M. sapphirinadides and M. robustus, which resemble one another in most respects, differ markedly in the position of the gizzard. There is a great difference in size among the species; M. grandis is quite as large as Microchata rappi, while M. minutus is one of the smallest of Earthworms. MONILIGASTER GRANDIS, sp. n. There is no trace of clitellum. The distance between the ventral seta rows is greater than that between the ventral rows and the lateral rows. The gizzard extends through somites xvii.-xxi. inclusive. The septa between v.-vi., vi.-vii., vii.-viii., and viii.-ix. are very strong and thick. The septum between ix. and x. is absent. I obtained this worm in M a y and June. In May, before the rains, I only found it deep down : I have made coolies dig pits as much as 9-10 feet deep before coming upon a single worm, although their burrows were quite obvious; then one would suddenly come upon a specimen lying in a hollow which seemed to exactly fit its body, all rolled up together in a mass nearly the size of one's fist, and upon the surface of the body, crawling about in the mucous, were young individuals which in one instance were less than half an inch long, but from larger specimens I easily determined them to be young Moniligasters. I expect that there is something very interesting about this, and probably it is connected with the absence of clitellum and consequently of cocoons, but it seemed to be too late in the year to make any further observations. In June at Naduvatam, after there had been some rain, I found these worms quite near the surface, even in some cases crawling about, but I never then found young ones. I never found these worms at a lower elevation than 6500 feet; at Coonoor, which is just below that altitude, and much warmer than Ootacamund, I could not find a single specimen. MONILIGASTER UNIQUUS, sp. n. So called because for some time I had only a single specimen, but I subsequently found a few others. There is no clitellum. The gizzard occupies somites xv.-xix. The ventral seta rows are very near together, there is less distance |
