Dendy. — On Neiv Zealand Land Planarians. 211 



The majority of the species collected have already been 

 described in the first part of these notes, but even concerning 

 these a certain amount of additional information was ob- 

 tained. 



Geoplana triangulata, var. australis, Dendy. 



This large, handsome variety was met with in abundance, 

 being perhaps the commonest form in the locality. The 

 colour of the dorsal surface was usually dark-purplish-brown 

 in its median portion, while the margins and ventral surface 

 ranged from pale-yellow to orange. Some specimens were 

 found associated with dead beech-leaves, which, in their two 

 prevailing shades of orange and dark-brown, almost exactly 

 matched the colours of the planarians. Possibly we have 

 here a case of protective resemblance. It is interesting to 

 note that all the specimens found were without the dark 

 speckliiig on the margins and ventral surface. Thus they 

 agree with the Dunedin form. In Christchurch, on the other 

 hand, none but the speckled form has yet been found, though 

 the species is very common. 



Geoplana latissima, n. sp. 



When at rest, very broad and short, flattened, not triangu- 

 lar in section ; when crawling, long and narrow, strongly con- 

 vex above, flat beneath. Length of a specimen when crawling, 

 62mm. ; breadth of another at rest, 11mm. Eyes small and 

 rather few, arranged in almost single series around the ante- 

 rior extremity. 



Dorsal surface orange, shading into pinkish anterior tip, 

 and with narrow yellow margins. A very narrow deeper- 

 orange stripe may be visible in the mid-dorsal liiie in the 

 posterior part of the body. Ventral surface very pale yellow, 

 nearly white, without markings. 



In spirit the shape of the body is very characteristic — very 

 short and broad, and with the two ends curled in ventrally. 

 The anterior end is bluntly pointed, hollowed underneath 

 and convex above. The posterior end is much more bluntly 

 rounded off, and has a slight median notch in the margin 

 (present in four out of five specimens, the other being injured 

 posteriorly). The very narrow lateral margins are thin and 

 prominent, and slightly upturned. Both apertures are situate 

 far back, the peripharyngeal at about the junction of the 

 middle and posterior thirds, and the genital perhaps slightly 

 nearer to it than to the posterior extremity. 



.\t first sight this species resembles Geoplana triangulata, 

 var. australis, but in life the orange colour is really very 

 characteristic, while in spirit the shape of tiie body is still 

 more so. It is the broadest land planarian in proportion to 



