Dendy. — On New Zealand Land Planarians. 187 



narrowed at the anterior extremity ; about 28min. long, and 

 8mm. broad. When crawling the edges of the body 

 straighten out, and the dorsal surface becomes slightly 

 elevated in a median ridge, but the body remains thin and 

 translucent, the alimentary canal clearly showing through. 

 It now tapers very gradually to the posterior end, and more 

 suddenly in front. The animal was very inert, and it was 

 difficult to make it crawl. When stretched out it measured 

 about 50mm. by 6mm. Eyes as usual, very numerous in 

 a densely crowded patch at each side of the head-end. and 

 continued all round the extreme tip. 



Dorsal surface dark olive-brown, with irregular, rounded 

 splotches of a lighter colour, like the knots in wood. Minute 

 pale metallic-green specks are scattered all over, but visible 

 only with a lens, though groups of them are visible to the 

 naked eye as small whitish specks. The pale-brown knot- 

 like markings are somewhat aggregated in the middle line, 

 and towards the margins. There is also a very narrow median 

 stripe of lighter colour at the anterior end of the dorsal 

 surface, but visible only for a very short distance. W 7 hen 

 stretched out a very narrow pale-brown margin, free from 

 speckles, also becomes visible. 



The anterior tip is brown, and the ventral surface is light 

 yellowish-brown, finely speckled with dark-brown. 



The colour and markings of the worm altogether formed a 

 close imitation of the piece of wet rotten bark on which it lay 

 at rest, and on which it was almost indistinguishable, looking 

 like a mere slimy patch. 



In spirit the body is pretty strongly convex above and 

 slightly concave below, the smooth, narrow margins, free 

 from speckles, being conspicuous on the ventral aspect. The 

 peripharyngeal aperture is situated well behind the middle of 

 the body, but still in the middle third, and the genital aperture 

 is about half-way between it and the posterior end. The 

 general colour of the worm changes to dull purple, while the 

 lighter splotches on the dorsal surface become rusty red. 



Locality. — Jackson's, on the Teremakau River, west of 

 Otira Gorge (coll., Miss Dendy). 



Geoplana subquadrangulata, n. sp. 



When at rest broad and much flattened on the dorsal 

 surface, with no median ridge, with well-marked lateral sur- 

 faces sloping slightly in wards to the ventral surface. More 

 or less quadrangular in transverse section, with sharp angles 

 between the dorsal and lateral surfaces, but no sharp distinc- 

 tion between lateral and ventral. Rather abruptly pointed at 

 each end. When crawling the body becomes long and narrow, 

 and the sharp distinction between dorsal and lateral surfaces 



