482 A. E. Verrill — Marhie Planarians of N'ev) England. 



low to an orange red, Avith a minute punctulation of a deeper red. 

 The relative position of the eye-specks is subject to some variation. 

 I have found it in Boston and Beverly harbors, always in deep 

 water. It spawns in January and February. Entire length, half an 

 inch." 



The expression " deep-water " at the time the above was written 

 probably meant 12 to 25 fathoms or less. 



Although I have dredged extensively in the same waters where 

 Girard's species was taken, and at all depths, I have never obtained 

 any planarian that could be referred to his species with any proba- 

 bility of correctness, unless it be the species described above, which 

 is a common one in Massachusetts Bay. There is nothing in Girard's 

 description of specific importance except the color, which is more or 

 less variable in all the species of the genus. Otlier species of Lep- 

 to'plana, observed by me, are often tinged with reddish, or pale 

 orange, but seldom so decidedly as his description would imply. 

 Some of the varieties of the pi'esent species are, however, decidedly 

 orange-red and have darker red or brown spots, nearly as stated in 

 Girai'd's description. This fact, and the correspondence in locality 

 induce me to adopt his name for this common species. 



That his species was a Leptoplana is probable, because of his call- 

 ing it a Polycelis, which, as used by authors at that time, was nearly 

 equivalent to Tieptoplana. From tlie description alone, it would, of 

 course, be impossible to tell even the genus to which his species 

 belongs, for no indication of the actual arrangement of the ocelli is 

 given. 



It is quite possible that this species is identical with L. eWpsoides 

 Girard, described by him a few years later from the drawings of Dr. 

 Stimpson. The latter, as it exists in the Bay of Fundy, is a much 

 larger and broader form, with less conspicuous ocelli, and presents 

 some'other differences, as noted below. But these variations may 

 be due to greater age, or to more favorable conditions of growth. 

 My specimens ai'e not sufficiently numerous to enable me to form a 

 complete series between the two tyjDical forms. They are, at any 

 rate, very closely allied. 



Among foreign species, the nearest relative of this species is, per- 

 haps, L. Drohachiensis (Oersted) of Greenland. The latter has 

 more numerous lobes to the pharynx and stomach, and differs, also, 

 in the form of the genital organs. 



