BY J. J. FLETCHER AND A. G. HAMILTON. 353 



dorsal surface and lying dorsad of the outermost dorsal stripe. 

 The eyes are readily discernible with a lens both in living and 

 usually in well-preserved specimens of most of the species ; in the 

 blue-tipped variety of G. ccbrulea, and in G. rubicunda, however, 

 they are more difficult to make out even in living specimens, 

 though under a low objective they can be seen to have the usual 

 arrangement. In G. ruhicimda the eyes are more inconspicuous, 

 smaller, and in the crowded patches in the specimen examined 

 only about two rows deep. In the other species it is the dark 

 colour of the back-ground which makes it difficult to see them. 



If our supposition be correct that Professor Moseley from the 

 examination of indifferent spirit material overlooked the presence 

 of eyes on the anterior extremity of the Australian land-planarians 

 examined by him, it seems unnecessary, in the present state of our 

 knowledge, to sepai'ate these forms as a distinct genus Ccenojjlana 

 on purely anatomical grounds (the arrangenient of the muscles, 

 and of the lateral organs). No doubt eventually it will be found 

 necessary to take anatomical characters into account in defining 

 the genera, and in establishing his two new genera CcBnoplana and 

 Dolichoj)la7ia Mr. Moseley did so. But we cannot find such defini- 

 tions of Geoplana and Rhynchodemus. Moreover, the genus 

 Geoplana already comprises 28 species (26 of which are enumerated 

 in Moseley 's Catalogue, with G. Whartoni, Gulliver, from the 

 Island of Rodriguez, and G. Moseleyi, Hutton, from N. Zealand, 

 since described) whereas the anatomy of only about two species is 

 satisfactorily known (1). Under these circumstances therefore, 

 and as all the many-eyed Australian species we have met with 



(1) Speaking of the whole family Mr. Moseley says : "Of the Geoplanidm 

 the complete anatomy including that of the generative organs is known as 

 yet only in the case of certain species of Bhi/nchodemus and Blpalium 

 from Ceylon, and in Geoplana Traversii of New Zealand. The arrangement 

 of the muscles and of tlie lateral organs (nervous systems or primitive 

 vascular systems ?) of the Ehynchodemus of the Cape, of a Geoplana 

 of Brazil, of the Australian Canoplanas, and Manilla Dolichoplanas has been 

 determined, and it appears that tlie Geoplauidie form a very natural 

 family" (I.e. p. 291). 

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