On the generative Organs and Products of Tomoptcris onisciforinis K. 420 



of epithelium in the Ixxiy-cavity, still, to avoid a difhculty, he states 

 liis belief that "Epithel" persists at the place where the egg-heaps 

 are formed. This is scarcely valid reasoning, especially as he gives 

 no indication that he made a single section to i)rove his contention 

 as to the absence of epithelium (or endothelium rather), and his single 

 figure of Tomopteris moreover , is so very rough that it must be 

 regarded as only an approximate representation. His statement as to 

 the group of cells where one is a ripe egg, and the others are only 

 a small appendage to the larger ripe egg, will hereafter be considered. 

 He describes other individuals, as large as those containing eggs, 

 which, however, show only small groups of large cells ("kleine Gruppen 

 von 0,016—0,02 mm grossen Zellen"); but although he suggests he 

 hesitates to regard them as seminal cells. 



C^iJATREFAGES ^) saw Only one pair of female genital openings, 

 and states that the sexes are separate , and that "les oeufs se dé- 

 veloppent dans la cavité générale sur les côtés du tube digestif." 



Vejdovsky ^ ) has made the most accurate contribution to our know- 

 ledge of the generative organs and products, especially in the male, 

 of any observer, who up to his time had dealt with Tomopteris. Like 

 others he failed to notice the paired female genital orifices which 

 Leuckart tt Pagenstecher had found. He describes and figures 

 ripe spermatozoa with only one tail, an isolated "Samenleiter" and 

 I)aired "Samenklumpen" in the caudal prolongation, distinguishing 

 between the latter and the "Samenleiter". He sets Carpenter & 

 Claparède right in reference to the origin of the spermatozoa, and 

 his "Samenklumpen" are the equivalents of their testes. The seminal 

 ducts are modified segmental organs , and he saw them in all fully 

 developed segments. My observations differ from his in this respect, 

 and also from the interpretation which he places on his "Samen- 

 klumpen", but these points will be considered in course. 



riREEFF, in his contribution to this subject, deals with the species 

 of Tomopteris which he found at ditferent times in the Canary Is- 

 lands ^) and in the Guinea Islands •*). In his Canary species, he saw 



1) QüATREKAOEs, Histoire naturelle des Annelés marins et d' eau 

 douce, 1865, V. 2, p. 219. 



2) Vejuovsky, Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Tomopteriden, in : Z. f. 

 wiss. Zool., V. 31, 1878, p. 81, tab. H, 7, fig. 1—15. 



3) Gkeefk, Ueber die polagischen Anneliden von der Küste der 

 canarischen Inseln, in: Z. f. wiss. Zool., V. 32, 1879, p. 237, tab. 13 

 — 15, fig. 40—51. 



4) Grkeff, lieber die pelagische Fauna an Hen Küsten der Guinea- 

 Inselü, in: Z. f. wiss. Zool., V. 42, 1885, p. 432, tab. 12, fig. 1—21. 



