vi] DISTRIBUTION OF SELECTED GROUPS 89 



these worms would prove rather too much, because 

 other allied species and genera of Acanthodriles live 

 in Cape Colony. 



The present distribution of this important family 

 reaches from South America, over Africa and Mada- 

 gascar, to New Caledonia and New Zealand, with 

 this restriction that in Patagonia, the Falklands, New 

 Georgia, Kerguelen and Marion Islands, they form 

 almost the only worm-fauna, whilst they are in the 

 minority in the more temperate and tropical parts 

 of the southern continents. Their distribution is 

 therefore compatible with that of the ancient Gond- 

 wanaland, and this would not have prevented them 

 from availing themselves also of the Patagonian- 

 Antarctic-Australian bridges. 



The other main groups of earthworms strongly 

 indicate a South American + African + Madagascar 

 complex and an Oriental-Australian community, 

 Avhilst the Lumbricidae (supposed to be the youngest 

 family) are with few exceptions the only earthworms 

 of Eurasia proper whence, however, they have spread 

 over most of the world. The Pleistocene glaciation 

 seems to have played sad havoc with the worms of 

 North America since Canada and the Northern States 

 possess no indigenous species, all the earthworms 

 being identical with European species. But those in 

 the Southern States show a marked influence from 

 Central America. 



