380 DESCRIPTION OF [Rotatorui. 



Family XXVIII.— EUCHLANIDOTA 



Comprehends Rotatoria whose rotatory organ is com- 

 pound, being divided into several parts, always more than 

 two, and which, moreover, possess a lorica. This shell-like 

 covering, says Dr. E., resembles either that of tortoises or 

 crabs ; the former when open only at the ends {testa tes- 

 tula), the latter when open also on the under side, or back, 

 forming a little shield (scutellum). As appendages, we 

 find setae in Euchlanis and Stephanops ; uncini in Colurus ; 

 little horns in Dinocharis ; spurs, or respiratory tubes, in 

 Euchlanis and Salpina ; and a hood in Stephanops. They 

 all possess a foot, mostly furcated, very few being simple 

 and styliform. Of the whole, only three species are desti- 

 tute of eyes. Separated muscles for moving the rotatory 

 organs exist in all the genera, and internal free ones in 

 three species of the genus Euchlanis ; muscles for moving 

 the foot are also to be seen. The nutritive apparatus con- 

 sists of a muscular CESophagal head, with two jaws pro- 

 vided with teeth ; these are free {gymnogomphia) in 

 all the species examined. They have a very short oeso- 

 phagus. Eight genera have either a simple conical sto- 

 mach (coelogastrica) to their alimentary canal, or else one 

 produced by a constriction (gasterodela). Two round or 

 ovate intestinal glands are also seen. The discharging 

 opening is at the base of the foot, upon the dorsal surface, 

 which latter is clearly indicated by the situation of the 

 eyes, when present. The ovarium developes but few large 

 ova at a time ; two sexual glands and a contractile vesicle 

 exist in the genera Euchlanis, Monostyla, Stephanops, 



