293 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Art. XX. — Earthworms from the Kermadecs. 



By W. B. Benham, D.Sc, MA., F.Z.8., &c, Professor of 



Biology in the University of Otago. 



[Read before the Otago Institute, 8th November, 1904.] 



Plates XIII. and XIV. 



Owing to the thoughtfulness of Mr. R. Shakespear, of Little 

 Barrier Island, I am indebted to Captain Bollons, of the Govern- 

 ment steamer " Hinemoa," for the first samples of the Oligochseta 

 that have been collected in the Kermadecs. Captain Bollons 

 was good enough to take a considerable amount of trouble to 

 obtain these worms. The soil forms, he tells me, a very thin 

 covering of decayed vegetation upon pumice rock, and he was 

 unsuccessful in his earlier efforts to find any earthworms, but 

 finally, at Coral Bay, his persistency was rewarded. My best 

 thanks are due to these gentlemen for their kindness. 



I received the specimens alive, packed with soil and moss in a 

 tin box : they consisted of three small earthworms and six Enchy- 

 traeids. Of the earthworms, two were immature individuals of 

 some species of the genus Allolobophora belonging to the family 

 Lumbricidce — the members of which are readily transported, 

 and are, as a matter of fact, widely distributed by the agency of 

 man. Though I am unable to identify the species to which 

 these individuals belong, there can be little doubt but that they 

 have been " introduced " by some means, though Captain Bollons 

 states that this part of the island has never been inhabited ; 

 nevertheless, some parts have been occupied, and there can be 

 no difficulty in explaining the presence of these worms here. 

 The third worm is mature, and belongs to the genus Rhododrilus * 

 which, according to Michaelsen's most recent writings, has its 

 headquarters in New Zealand, and is represented on both the 

 main islands as well as on the outlying islands. The present 

 species, however, differs from any hitherto described, and I 

 propose to name it 



Rhododrilus kermadecensis, n. sp. 



Colour. — Pinkish, with transparent body-wall. 



Dimensions. — Length, 65 mm. ; diameter, 1*75 mm. ; with 108 

 segments. 



Ch&ta;. — The eight bristles are wide apart, and approximately 

 their arrangement in the midbody is ah = hbc ; be =cd = 2ab ; 

 aa = &c ; dd — led. But at about the 20th segment the lines 



* Ft appears from a recent work by Miehaelaen that he would fuse 

 t.lic specie* tit' Rhododrilus with those of Microseolez, the older genus. I 

 have given reasons in a paper forwarded to the Zoological Society for 

 distinguishing the two genera. 



