620 TASMANIAN LAND PLANARIANS, 



more than local species occurring in individual regions of Aus- 

 tralia, differ from one another. 



The type specimens of the species described in this paper are 

 deposited in the Australian Museum, Sydney. 



Geoplana Dovei, n.sp. 

 (Plate xli., fig. 1.) 



Geoplana Lucasi, Dendy, (6, p. 180, and 8, p. 421, but not 3, 

 p. 43; 4, p. 74; nor 5, p. 40, pi. iv. fig. 4), Graff (10, p. 350, in so 

 far as reference is made to the Tasmanian form, but not to 

 the Victorian form); von Spencer (9, p. 91). 



Geoplana Lucasi was originally described and figured by Dendy 

 from specimens obtained in Victoria. Subsequently he doubt- 

 fully ("provisionally at any rate ") identified examples of a land 

 planarian procured in Tasmania as belonging to the same species 

 Graft', in commenting on specimens of the Tasmanian worm sent 

 to him by Dendy, contrasts the dorsal markings with those 

 figured and described by Dendy for the Victorian species, and 

 throws doubt on the specific identity of the two. Graff does not 

 appear to have had an}' of the Victorian species before him, and 

 hesitated about constituting the Tasmanian form a distinct 

 species. He says : — 



" Wenn nicht Dendy angabe, dass bei einem Exemplare die 

 Andeutung eines Medianstreifens vorhanden ist, wiirde ich auf 

 mein Exemplar hin unbedenklich eine besondere Species begriin- 

 den." 



I have not had an opportunity of seeing examples of the Vic- 

 torian worm, but have received* from Mr. Dove a series of fine 

 specimens collected at Table Cape, Tasmania, agreeing very 

 closely with Dendy 's description of the Tasmanian form. So 

 totally different are these, both in the colours and pattern of the 

 dorsal markings, from Dendy 's figure and description of the Vic- 

 torian G. Lucasi, that I should never have associated them as 

 being specifically related, and have no hesitation in considering 

 them distinct species. The mere fact of both possessing a median 



