A NEW EARTHWORM FROM TEXAS BELONGING TO THE 

 GENUS DIPLOCARDIA. 



By Frank Smith, 

 Of the University of Illinois, Urbana. 



The genus Diplocardia includes a considerable number of species 

 already described, and presumably an even larger number yet to be 

 made known. They constitute a group of indigenous species, ap- 

 parently limited to North America, which exhibit an unusual rangft 

 of variation in the position of the spermiducal pores. The ordinary 

 position of these pores in the nearly related groups is on the eight- 

 eenth somite. In the majority of species of Diplocardia they are on 

 the nineteenth somite ; in one species, at least, they are on somite 20 ; 

 and in still another one, D. keyesi^ they are on somite 21. This last- 

 named species was based on one specimen obtained by Eisen in Lower 

 California and originally described (Eisen, 1896) under the name 

 Aleodrilus keyesi. 



The writer recently received from Dr. C. V. Piper of the Bureau 

 of Plant Industry at Washington, D. C, two specimens of a closely 

 allied form, which had been collected in Texas, and which represent 

 a variety of D. keyesi. As a matter of convenience in making com- 

 parisons, a brief summary of the distinguishing characters of the 

 type form of the species from a later paper of Eisen (1900) will be 

 first presented; this will be followed by a similar summary of im- 

 portant characters of the new variety ; and then a more extended de- 

 scription and comparison will be undertaken. 



This paper forms No. 245 of the series of contributions from 

 the zoological laboratory of the University of Illinois. 



DIPLOCARDIA (ALEODRILUS) KEYESI (Eisen). 



Definition. — Color, flesh, marbled violet, no pigment. Size, 70 mm. 

 by 5 mm. Somites 150. Prostomium divides somite I about one- 

 half. Dorsal pores, the most anterior one, VIII/IX. Spermiducal 

 pores in XXI. Spermathecal pores, two pairs, in VIII and IX, in 

 front of setae ah. Prostate pores in XX and XXII. Oviducal pores 



No. 2549.-PROCEEDINGS U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, VOL. 66, ART. 12. 



100828—24 1 



