412 
ORIGIN OF LIFE IN AMERICA 
whence it has spread as far north as southern Germany. 
Several other species are peculiar to southern Europe and 
Madeira. One Japyx is found in India. Across the Atlantic 
Japyx subterraneus has been observed in the Mammoth Cave 
of Kentucky, while a second species (Japyx saussurei) inhabits 
only Mexico and Chile.* 
The curious scorpion-like Koenenia, the only genus of the 
order Palpigradi, is confined, as already mentioned, to 
southern Europe, Texas and Chile. As far as America is 
concerned, it is limited in its range to the two regions alluded 
to. The family of spiders, Mecicobotliriidae, according to 
Mr. Pocock,f occurs only in the western States of North 
America and in Argentina, the genus Hexura being found in 
the former and Mecicobothrium in the latter part of America. 
The ancestral form of the evidently very ancient family of 
earthworms, Megascolecidae, seems to be Notiodrilus. This 
genus is met with in America only in Mexico, Guatemala, 
Chile, Argentina, Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and the Falk¬ 
land islands, while another genus, namely, Kerria, inhabits 
Lower California and southern South America, being absent 
from the intermediate area. The slug Philomycus has a wide 
range in North America, occurring in Mexico, Guatemala and 
Costa Rica, and then turns up again far away to the south 
in Chile. Similarly the salamander Plethodon, which in North 
America inhabits principally the western States, is found in 
a single district in South America, namely, in Argentina. 
There are a large number of similar examples among such 
forms of insects that we have reason to believe date back 
to at least early Tertiary times. The best known example, per¬ 
haps, is that of the common northern genus Carabus. In 
Mexico there are still two species. Neither in Central 
America, nor in northern nor middle South America has it 
been discovered, while in Chile and Tierra del Fuego there 
are nine species. That the latter are now considered suffi¬ 
ciently distinct to be placed into the separate genus Cero- 
glossus does not alter the fact that they are closely related 
to northern Carabi, whereas they have no affinity at all with 
* Karsch. F., “ Neue Fundovte von Japyx,” p. 154. 
t Pocock, B. I., “Geographical Distribution of Spiders,” p. 346. 
