III. INDIAN IvAND PLANARIANS. 



By R. H. Whitehouse, M.Sc, Professor of Zoology, Govern- 

 ment College, Lahore. 



(With Plate XI.) 



Introduction., 



Until the present time the land planarians of India have been 

 almost entirely neglected, while the Ceylon forms have been the 

 subject of considerable attention ; but it is hoped that the begin- 

 ning thus made will develop into a comprehensive treatment of 

 these animals which flourish abundantly in all parts where mois- 

 ture is plentiful. 



It was only to be expected that most of the collection would 

 prove to be new; planarians, both land and freshwater, are 

 strikingly local especially the latter ; dry areas of any great extent 

 prove complete barriers to their dispersal. 



Previous records of Indian land planarians ^re rare, incom- 

 plete and uncertain. Bipalium smithi (v. Graff) is described, but 

 with no figure, in von Graff's " Monographic der Turbellarien— 

 Landplanarien" 1899 and references are made there also to some 

 three or four others which, however, must be regarded as doubtful. 

 Reference might be made to the so-called Bipalium ferudpoorense 

 (K. P. Wright) and it is conjectured by Bell that Ferudpoor is 

 a mis-spelling for Firozpur in the Punjab; but this is most un- 

 likely, since Firozpur is in one of the driest and hottest parts 

 of India, and scarcely a place likely to yield land planarians. 



The following account is purely systematic, but it is hoped 

 before long to begin anatomical details of the various forms, a 

 work which will do much to clear up any doubtful points; for 

 colour patterns are frequently variable, often due to the age of the 

 specimens. At present it would be unsafe to make any general 

 conclusions regarding distribution ; what is known in each case is 

 stated when dealing with each species. 



Bipalium proserpina (Humbert). 

 (Plate XI, figs. I to 10.) 



Indian Museum Collection Nos. ZEV ^VS ZEV '■V"-^; 

 ZEV ^V'' ; ZEV^^V'"; ZEV'^V^'; ZUV'^u^- ZEV-^V"; ZEV^V^. 



This planarian was previously reported from Ceylon only, but 

 its distribution is now found to be quite extensive in India, speci- 

 mens having been taken at Tenmalai, Maddathoray (Travancore) 



