464 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM \ol. 85 



close to the parietes; ectal to this junction the duct much nar- 

 rowed. The diverticular stalk is very short, always shorter than 

 the spermathecal duct and like the duct is smooth, glistening, and 

 muscular. The seminal chamber is long and thin walled; the 

 chamber may be almost straight, bent, twisted, or with one or two 

 very short loops, the limbs of th(i loops in apposition. 



A glandular mass projects from the parietes into the coelomic 

 cavity in front of each spermatheca. The glandular mass comprises 

 one, two, or three distinct glands, according to the number of geni- 

 tal markings in close proximity to the spermatliecal pore. A short 

 ental portion of the gland duct of tha larger preclitellar, genital 

 markings is coelomic, lifting the gland into the coelomic cavity 

 slightly above the parietes. 



Remarks. — In the translatioii of the description of pectenifera., 

 Dr. Boring (Michaelsen, 1931) has made several mistakes. On page 

 16 the statement regarding intestinal caeca should read, "The size 

 of the caeca decreases regularly from above downwards" i. e., passing 

 ventrally. Further corrections: The seminal vesicles of xi are n^t 

 grown together above the intestine; the seminal vesicles of xii are 

 not fused ventrally; the testis sac of xi does not "extend over" the 

 anterior testis sac but over the anterior seminal vesicles. 



The three types of P. pectenlfera are all cliaracterized by minute 

 spermatliecal pores. According to Michaelsen the spermatliecal pores 

 are "ziemlich grosse Querspalte." The size of spermathecal pores 

 is not subject intra specifically to such extremes of variation as this 

 would appear to indicate. Either Michaelsen is mistaken with regard 

 to the size of the spermathecal pores or else the original material 

 comprises two specifically distinct forms (one with large spermathe- 

 cal pores or minute but invaginate pores communicating with the 

 exterior by large secondary openings). 



Furthermore, the testis sacs in the three types are ventral, but 

 according to Michaelsen the posterior sac is (Michaelsen considers; 

 the single sac to be in reality a pair of sacs "in ganzer Breite 

 miteinander verschmolzene") "nicht geschlossen" that extends over, 

 "ubergehen," the seminal vesicles of xi. What the author means by 

 an "open" testis sac (in Pheretima the sacs are always closed) that 

 "passes over" the seminal vesicles is not clear unless the anterior 

 vesicles are included within the posterior testis sac. But the vesicles 

 of xi of the types examined are not so included. Possibly the type 

 series of pectenifera comprises two species, one with included and 

 one with excluded seminal vesicles. 



The male pore region of P. pectenlfera is so remarkably like that 

 figured for P. yamadai Hatai, 1930, that the former may be, in 

 reality, a synonym of the latter. Hatai's species is not, however, ade- 



