XXXVIII. ONYCHOPHORA. 



By Stanley Kemp, B.A., Assistant Superintendent , 

 Indian Museum. 



(Plates xxxiv xxxvii.) 



Introduction. 



The discovery of a species of Peripatus on the north-east 

 frontier of India at the foot of the Eastern Himala^^as, must be 

 reckoned as one of the most interesting zoological results of the 

 Abor expedition. The Abor country lies far to the north of the 

 nearest point at which specimens have previously been obtained, 

 and no member of the group was hitherto known to occur within 

 the limits of the Indian Empire. The single species found is, 

 moreover, highly peculiar in many respects and, though showing 

 traces of alliance with Eo peripatus, which occurs in Sumatra and 

 the Malay Peninsula, differs sufficiently in regard to the characters 

 employed by Bouvier, Evans and other authors to entitle it to 

 separate generic rank ; in the absence of an}^ external trace of eyes 

 it appears to be unique. 



In describing this form it is not my intention to deal at length 

 with the status of the different genera of Onychophora which have 

 been proposed, or to support either of the systems of nomen- 

 clature upheld respectively by M. E. L. Bouvier ajid the late Dr. 



