1909. J J. Stephenson : Aquatic animals from Tibet. m 



front than behind. The ventral nerve-cord is formed in the second 

 segment by the union of the commissures. 



I am unfortunately unable to give a description of the male 

 organs from the specimens at my disposal ; and with regard to the 

 female organs also the account must for the present be incomplete. 

 Clusters of developing spermatozoa (few only) were seen in seg- 

 ment X ; clusters of ova in xi and posteriorly, some even at the 

 extreme posterior end of the animal ; there are thus apparently 

 (as is usual in the family) no egg-sacs formed. Somewhat opaque 

 masses of yolk-matter^ in small granules, occupy the clitellar re- 

 gion and part of segment xi. A genital gland, presumably testis, 

 appears attached to the posterior face of septum lo-ii. 



The spermatheccC (tig. i, sp.) are situated in segment v, open- 

 ing anteriorly ventro-laterally between iv and v. They are tu- 

 bular, with narrow lumen, of a much elongated pear-shape, the 

 broader part being anterior. They have thick walls ; the passage 

 of communication with the exterior is short and narrow ; they are 

 attached behind to the dorsal wall of the alimentary canal, but I 

 have not been able satisfactorily to demonstrate a continuity of 

 the lumen of the spermatheca with that of the oesophagus ; such 

 may, however, possibly exist. 



The clitellum is seen in sections to consist of two kinds of cells 

 intermingled ; of these some are quite clear, and others granular 

 in appearance. The same distinction is also evident in a super- 

 ficial view of the whole surface of the clitellum, the clear and 

 granular cells appearing as clear and granular areas. 



Systematic position. — The arrangement of the setae described 

 above is peculiar to the genus Fridcricia. Of the species of this 

 genus, the larger number present diverticula in connection with 

 the spermathecse ; and of those {F . alpina, alba, biilbosa and striata, 

 according to Michaelsen, " Oligochseta " in Das Ticrreich, 1900) 

 which have no such diverticula, F . striata is the only one which 

 presents anything like so large a number of individual setse in each 

 bundle. In this form, however, the salivary glands are branched 

 at the extremity, the ampulla.^ of the spermathecse are bulbous in 

 shape, and in connection with the passage to the exterior are two 

 somewhat spherical glands ; these characters are absent in the 

 present species. 



Though the above account of the present form is incomplete, 

 it would nevertheless appear to be distinguishable by several well- 

 marked characters from the other members of the genus ; and 

 since I think the description will allow of its being recognized 

 when next met with, I have ventured to distinguish it by the 

 specific name stewarti. I have placed a type specimen, in balsam, 

 in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, and also a series of longitudinal 

 sections ; the specimen mounted whole shows the characters of the 

 spermathecse distinctly, and has ten setae in one of the ventral 

 bundles of the sixth segment. 



