IX. ON THE OCCURRENCE OF PL^ COCSP/^^- 

 LUS JAVANUS (IvOMAN) IN SIAM. 



By ToKio Kaburaki, Zoological Laboratory , the 



Museums, Cambridge. 



Owing to Loman ^ and v. Graff's '^ works, it was made out 

 clearly that Placocephalus javanus (Lorn an) is fairly common in the 

 Malay Archipelago. It has hitherto been recorded from Java 

 Sumatra and Singapore. This fact is of some interest from the 

 point of view of geographical distribution, though its distribution 

 might have been brought about through the agency of man. 



The purpose of the present report is to record the occurrence 

 of the species, which I identify with Plac. javanus, in Siam. 

 Owing to the kindness of Dr. N. Annandale of the Indian Museum, 

 I was able to observe one individual only of this species, which 

 was obtained b}^ Mr. W. N. Dunn in a certain garden in the town 

 of Singgora, Siam. To the gentlemen named I beg to express my 

 thanks for the opportunity of observing the planarian. 



The specimen was preserved in planarian fixitii^e ^ and was in 

 fairly good condition, except that it was torn near the middle 

 of the body. In shape the animal conforms to the typical 

 Placocephalus outline, with the head, which is of a semi-lunar shape, 

 not a great deal wider than the trunk, and only marked off from 

 the trunk by a constriction. The greater part of the trunk, rather 

 stoutly built, is of almost similar breadth, though the body tapers 

 extremely gradually to a rather pointed posterior end. The dorsal 

 surface is slightly convex and the ventral nearly flat ; the ambu- 

 lacral surface forms a scarcely raised ridge, rather less than one- 

 eighth the width of the body, and extending the whole length. 



' Loman, J. C. C, Zwei neue Arten von Bipalium. Zool. Anz., V'l Jahrp-. 

 1883, p. 168. Uber den Bau von Bipalium Stimpson, nebst Beschreibung neuer 

 Arten aus dem indischen Archipel. Bijtlragen tot de Dierkunde, 14 Afl!, 188S, 

 pp. 64-85. I'ber neue Landplanarien von den Sunda-inseln. Zoologische Ergeb- 

 nisse einer Reise in Niederlandish Osl-Indien herausgeg'. von M. Weber, I 

 Heft, 1890, pp. 138, 145, 151. On some Landplanarians of the genus Bipalium 

 from the Leyden Nluseum of Natural History. Notes from tJie Leyden Museum, 

 Vol. XVII, 1895, p. 30. Hallez, P., Catalogue des Turbellaries du Nord 

 de la France et de la cote Boulonnaise. Revue biol dii Nord de la France, 

 T. II, 1889-90 (1893), p. no. Blacker, P., Bijdrage tot de geneeskundige 

 topographie van Batavia. Natuiir- eiz Geneeskitndig Archief voor Nederlandsch 

 Indie, I, 1 844, p. 523. 



'^ Graff, L. v., Bestimmungsschlussel fiir die Indo-Malayischen Landplan- 

 arien. Annales du Jardin Bofaiiique de Buitenzog, Suppl. II, 1898, p. 124. 

 Monographic der Turbellaricn. II. Tricladida terricola (Landplanarien), 1899, 

 pp. 465-467- 



■■' 30 c.c. Nitric acid, 30 c.c. Corrosive sublimate and 40 c.c. Distilled water. 



