South African Rotifer a. By J. Murray. 585 



Of our nine species, eight are new records for South Africa ; 

 only Adineta vaga was previously recorded. 



With Mr. Eousselet's remarks, in his paper on Geographical 

 Distribution (S), on the cosmopolitan character of the Eotifera, I 

 am in the main agreed, although I see some evidence for approxi- 

 mate tropical and temperate zones for Bdelloid Eotifera. These 

 zones, if they were demonstrated, would be determined by climate, 

 so that they would still depend on " suitable conditions " for each 

 species. The cosmopolitan character is doubtless more marked 

 among the aquatic Ploima, with which Mr. Rousselet has chiefly 

 concerned himself, as the conditions in water are very uniform 

 over the earth's surface. We get very nearly the same maximum 

 summer temperature for ponds in the polar regions as in Britain, 

 and in the tropics it is not so very much higher. Water is the 

 great equalizer of temperature. Moss-dwelling animals are directly 

 exposed to the extremes of temperature of different climates ; and 

 if some are more susceptible to cold and heat than the others, they 

 may readily become segregated in zones. 



In the present paucity of records for many countries the fact is 

 that there are eighteen Bdelloids which are only recorded for Africa, 

 six only for South Africa. 



Philodina flaviceps and Adineta gracilis are additions to the 

 African fauna. 



In view of the suggestion made above that tropical and tem- 

 perate zones for Bdelloid Eotifers may be distinguished, it is 

 noticeable that our short list contains only temperate species. 

 There is a total absence of those species characteristic of the whole 

 of tropical and sub-tropical Africa. Even in Cape Colony ordinary 

 collections of Bdelloids are characterized by the tropical element. 

 No doubt the absence of these species from our collection is due to 

 the high elevation at which they were gathered. They were not 

 from the summit, but from a considerable elevation, probably 

 between 2000 and 3000 ft. 



Species Collected on Table Mountain. 



Philodina rugosa Bryce. 



P. flaviceps Bryce. 



Dissotrocha pectinata sp.n. 



Callidina habita Bryce. 



C. plicata Bryce. 



Habrotrocha angusticollis (Murray). 



H. constricta (Duj.). 



Adineta vaga (Davis). 



A. gracilis Janson. 



