ASHWORTH, AN ACCOUNT OF ARENICOLA LOVENI KINBERG. 3 



of the systematic position of this species, I applied to Pro- 

 fessor Théel for the loan of the type specimen, preserved in 

 the Riksmuseum, Stockholm. I beg to express to him my 

 sincere thanks for so readily entrusting to me this interesting 

 and valuable specimen, and also for permitting me to make 

 an inspection of its internal organs, without which a definite 

 conclusion regarding the position of the species could not 

 have been attained. My examination of the type specimen 

 showed that the species A. loveni Kinbérg is a valid one. 

 On ascertaining this I wrote to Professor J. D. F. Gilchrist, 

 enquiring if, during his marine investigations, he had found 

 specimens of Arenicola on the shores of South Africa. In reply 

 he sent to me, in July 1909, four specimens taken in Sal- 

 danha Bay, which prove to belong to Kinberg's species. I 

 beg to thank Professor Gilchrist for so generously placing 

 these specimens at my disposal. From the type and the four 

 specimens from Saldanha Bay I have prepared the following 

 description at the end of which a new and full diagnosis of 

 the species A. loveni is given. 



Occurreiice. 



Arenicola is evidently not common or readily found on 

 the coast of South Africa. Up to the present, Kinberg's 

 specimen, obtained at Port Natal, near Durban, is the only 

 one recorded and no details are given of the conditions under 

 which it was found. The only information available on this 

 point is contained in a letter (dated, 7th July, 1909) which 

 Professor Gilchrist sent to me with the specimens and from 

 which I quote the following — »I had been looking for se- 

 veral years for Arenicola here» (i. e. on the shores of Cape 

 Colony) »but found no trace of it until on a visit to Saldanha 

 Bay, on the west coast, I found the castings of the worra in 

 a little sandy cove just inside the Bay. Most of the sand 

 here is very shifty but in this sheltered place it seemed to 

 be more permanent and was of rather darker colour. The 

 worms were procured by digging rather quickly with a spade, 

 they seemed to be about a foot or so beneath the surface». 



