1921.] N. Annandai.e : Fauna of Barkmia I. 321 



mostraca have been found in the pond or wells. vSeveral species 

 of wood-louse occur under stones and one is not uncommon in 

 spiders' nests on the leaves of Glycosinis pentaphylla. Prof. Chas. 

 Chilton ' has given a detailed account of the common littoral 

 species, Ligia exotica. This Isopod is seasonal in its occurrence, 

 disappearing annually at the end of the rains. In the littoral zone 

 of the shore two sand-hoppers occur in large numbers, but neither 

 ever makes its way into the interior of the island. This is note-, 

 worthy, as the more abundant of the two (OrcJiestia plaiensis) has 

 been found among the mountains of Hawaii as well as at the edge 

 of many seas and lakes. The less abundant but bigger species is 

 Talorchestia martcnsii. 



Annelid Fauna. 



There are no land-leeches on Barkuda, the soil of which is 

 much to dry for them. In the pond I have seen species of 

 Glossosiphonia, doubtless parasitic on Limnaea, and a Piscicola 

 wh ich must live on frogs {Rana cyauoplilyclis). the only aquatic 

 vertebrate. 



Several Oligochaetes have been described by Col. Stephenson 

 from below water-level on the shore of the island, but the only 

 terrestrial species is apparently his Octochactus barkiidensis, which 

 is common in the earth between the roots of fig-trees. 



PoLYZOA AND Sponges. 



One species of freshwater Polyzoa and one of freshwater 

 sponge are found on the island. The latter is the widely dis- 

 tributed Spongilla alba, which occurs Ijoth in the pond and in 

 one of the vvells, while the Polyzoon, representing the subgenus 

 Hyalinella,^ JuUien, of the genus Plwnateila, was until recently 

 known only from the pond on Barkuda, but has been found within 

 the last few months in great abundance in the Colombo water- 

 works in Ceylon. I have called it PliimatcUa longigemmis} 



The general characters of the fauna thus briefly summa- 

 rized will, I hope, be discussed later, when the reports on the va- 

 rious groups have been considered in detail. It will be sufficient 

 to say at present that it is in some respects almost an essence of 

 that of the central part of Peninsular India, after most of the more 

 highly specialized species had been eliminated in the struggle for 

 existence, intensified by the peculiar nature of the soil, climate and 

 vegetation. 



' Chilton, Mem. Ind. Mits. V, p. 462 (1916). 



•2 Annandale, Rec. I ml. Mns. .Will, p. 93 (19191. 



■' Annandale, Rec. Ind. Afiis. XI, p. 168 (igiS) ; ibid.. Will, p. 94 (igiy). 



