ON BENHAMIA OCEOIEEBA, N. SP. 103 



On Benhamia coecifera, n. sp., from the 

 Gold Coast. 



By 



1¥. Blaxlaiid Beiiliani, D.Sc.L.oiid., Hon. M.A.Oxon., 



Aldrichian Demonstrator in Comparative Anatomy in the University 

 of Oxford ; Lecturer on Biology in Bedford College, London. 



With Plate 12. 



Some time this year I received a large specimen of Ben- 

 hamia from Professor Jeffrey Bell for examination and identi- 

 fication. My best thanks are due to the authorities of the 

 British Museum for their permission to make the examination. 



The worm, which turns out to be a new species, to which I 

 give the name Benhamia coecifera, was collected by Captain 

 Torry at Axim, in the Fantee Country, on the West Coast of 

 Africa. 



We already know a number of species from this side of 

 Africa, as well as from the East Coast and inland, and we know 

 pretty certainly that this continent is the home of the genus. 



This new species is of considerable size, measuring 510 mm. 

 (20 inches), with a diameter of 17 mm. at the clitellum, and 

 gradually diminishing posteriorly. Its average diameter is 

 about 12 mm., and it tapers only very slightly to within a few 

 segments of the hinder end, where it rounds off. There are 

 310 segments. 



The colour of the worm is dirty brown (in spirit), and the 

 hinder end is not very sensibly lighter than the rest of the 

 body. 



In each segment there is a circle of small dark brown pig- 



