The Arenicolicltf of South Africa. 23 



continent,* and he was inclined to believe that this land mass did not 

 include the Cape of Good Hope. 



When the above comments were written a year ago, the species 

 Arenicola assimilis was not known from South Africa. This 

 seemed to indicate that the conclusion to which Mr. Beddard 

 had arrived from a study of the earthworms, namely, that the 

 Antarctic continent did not include the Cape of Good Hope, was 

 supported by the distribution of the species of Arenicola. This 

 support must, of course, now be withdrawn in view of the finding of 

 A. assimilis in Table Bay and Liideritzbucht, but the main portion 

 of the thesis stands, namely, that the distribution of this species is 

 consonant with the view that there was formerly a large southern 

 continental mass, with which were connected, possibly at different 

 periods, Patagonia, South Africa, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the 

 intermediate islands, which are probably remains of former larger 

 land areas. 



PEEVIOUS RECORDS OF ARENICOLA FROM ANGRA 



PEQUENA. 



Arenicola was recorded from Angra Pequena by Professor von 

 Marenzeller,f who referred his specimens to the species A. marina. 

 Through his kindness I was enabled, two years ago, to examine one 

 of his specimens, which, unfortunately, was not in good condition 

 at the anterior end. The outlines of the prostomial lobes were so 

 badly preserved that this character was not available in diagnosis. 

 An examination for statocysts was made, as well as could be without 

 unduly damaging the specimen, but these organs could not be 

 found although the oesophageal connectives were carefully 

 inspected by means of a binocular dissecting microscope. It was 

 concluded wrongly, as it now appears, that statocysts were absent. 

 Other characters exhibited by the specimen, namely, the number of 

 segments and gills, the short neuropodia, the multiple cesophageal 

 glands and the absence of septal pouches, showed that the worm 

 was an example of either A. claparedii or A. assimilis var. affinis. 



* 



* Professor Benham has more recently urged that the distribution of the earth- 

 worm Notiodrilus affords convincing evidence in favour of the former existence of 

 Antarctica. See Eeport 9th Meeting Australian Assoc. Adv. Sci., pp. 319-343, 

 1903 ; and " The Sub-antarctic Islands of New Zealand," p. 254, 1909. 



f "Polychaten der Angra Pequefia-Bucht," in: Zool. Jahrb., Abt. Syst., 

 Bd. III., p. 12, 1888. This record was repeated by Professor Ehlers in : Denkschr, 

 Medic. -naturwiss. Ges. Jena, Bd. xiii., pp. 47-50, 1908. 



