PACIFIC COAST OLIGOCH.ETA. ]»')] 



dorsal. The direction of the spermathecte is in the diameter of head to tail. They 

 lie closely pressed to (he body-wall. As regards size, the most anterior j)air is the 

 smallest, and the most [)osterior the largest. 



Sparganophilus Benhami n. sp. 

 Figs. 97-111). 

 lliihittit. In the nuul of springs, October, November, 1894. Topic City, Ter- 

 ritory of Tepic, Mexico, 4000 feet altitude. Of some fifty specimens collected only 

 three were well developed as regards clitellura and tubercula pubertatis. 



EXTERIOR CHARACTERS. 



Color, reddish-violet, very strongly iridescent. The violet tint is very pro- 

 nounced, much more so than in any other species that I have examined except Sj). 

 yuatenidknsh, where the bluish-violet tint is very deep and intense. 



Bodij. This is a long and slender species tapering towards the tail end. The 

 cephalic lol)c is superiorly not distinct from somite i, but there is a small pit on the 

 boundary between the two. tSomites i, ii, iii are less prominent. Somites iv to ix are 

 strongly convex, but x to xv are much less so. The clitellar intersegmental grooves 

 are only distinct between the ventral setje. 



Dorsal pores. The most anterior dorsal pore is seen between i/ii; the most 

 posterior one between v/vi. There is a central pit in the dorsal side of somites i, ii, iii. 



Clitellum, as in other species; the extent of the clitellum is different on the 

 dorsal and ventral sides. This I think can best be expressed thus: dorsally, |xiv — 

 xxiv; ventrally, xvii — xxvi. The clitellum is continuous, but much less developed 

 ventrally between the tubercula pubertatis than dorsally. This is also characteristic 

 of the other species I have examined. Viewing the clitellum exteriorly, it appears 

 as discontinued between the tubercula pubertatis ridges. 



Tubercula jiubertatis begin in xviii and end in xxii. Each one consists of a 

 straight ridge on the top of which runs a groove jiarallel to the ridge. Posterior to 

 the tubercula pubertatis proper the ventral part of the clitellum is concave deepening 

 posteriorly and ending in a deeper pit in the posterior part of xxvi. Anteriorly the 

 tubercula pubertatis ridges continue forwards almost straight and outside of the ventral 

 setse 1 and 2 to the center of xii, where they end in the region of the ventral setiie. These 

 two almost parallel ridges are very thin and sharp, several times narrower than the 

 tubercula pubertatis proper. They only appear in fully adult specimens, and are very 

 characteristic. I believe that the underside of the clitellum will furnish good species 

 characteristics if carefully noted. But in order to bring out this region properly the 

 specimens must be slowly killed and then as rapidly as possible be passed through the 

 alcohols into that of 96%. Formalin specimens do not .show the region as well as 

 alcoholic specimens. 



Male pore or sperraiducal pore is situated on the anterior j of xx, just lateral 

 to the tubei'cula pubertatis. The pore is not prominent, but may be readily seen. 



Prostate pores are not prominent, but in adult specimens they may be seen in 

 front of setse 1 and 2 in somites xxiii, xxiv, xxv, xvi. 



