460 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. VIII, 



the animal, and here it is practically black. In all these features 

 of pattern this species agrees with B. robiginosum (v. Graff) ; one 

 difference, however, is that in the latter species, there are two 

 prominent patches of clear reddish brown on the head, one on each 

 side, inclined towards the middle line; such patches are not 

 found in B. sordidum. Further, B. robiginosum is described as 

 having a greenish or yellowish tone in the brown, though the 

 colour seems variable ; and the median line is described as stop- 

 ping short of the extreme posterior. 



The eyes are numerous and extend all round the head to the 

 sides of the neck, where they are somewhat more ventral than 

 dorsal. The head itself is not so broad as the body, whereas in 

 B. robiginosum it is a little wider; preservation may have effected 

 some contraction, but Mr. Kemp remarks that the head is not 

 broadly expanded. 



Ventrally, on either side of the ambulacral surface, the 

 colour, in the living animal, is pale umber with very minute black 

 specks ; in the preserved animal it is a dirty brown colour. The 

 ambulacral surface is much paler and in the preserved creature is 

 a dirty white except in the middle line, which has a shade of 

 brown (see fig. 14) ; this median portion is the only part of the 

 ambulacral surface that is raised ; at the mouth and genital 

 aperture, it broadens out a little (see fig. 14). The under surface 

 of the head is darker than the rest of the ventral surface. 



Mr. Kemp notes that this planarian is much more sluggish in 

 its habits than other allied species. 



Placocephalus superbus, n. sp. 

 (Plate xxx, figs. 15 — 20a.) 



All the eleven specimens of this species were found in the 

 Rotung district. In length the}' range from 52 mm. to 18 mm. ; 

 the difference in length is due to the state of contraction, the 

 52 mm. specimen measuring only 2 mm. in breadth, while a 

 24 mm. specimen measured 4 mm. across. The dorsal surface is 

 flat and the ventral strongly convex; the ambulacral surface is 

 not perceptibly raised above the general surface. The greater 

 part of the trunk is of similar width, though the body tapers for 

 some little distance from the posterior end to a rather pointed 

 extremity. 



The head is much depressed dorso- ventrally, has no promi- 

 nent lappets, and is only marked off from the trunk by a slight 

 constriction. The eyes are not very numerous but extend along 

 the free edge of the head and on the sides of the neck ; in some 

 cases they are continued for a short distance along the sides of 

 the trunk. 



The dorsal colouration of this beautiful planarian consists of 

 the following elements: an inner pair of black lines, closely 

 approximated, with a narrow median pale buff stripe between; 

 on their outer edges, these thin black lines fade gradually into a pale 



