STRUCTURE OF SEVERAL FORMS OF LAND PLaNARIANS. 275 



similar to those in Geoplana N. Zealandiae. E,od-cells closely 

 similar to those of the South African land planarians were observed 

 in this species. They contain each several long spirally-wound 

 roJs (PI. XX, fig. 15). Others occur (PI. XX, fig. 14) in which 

 the rods are short and straight. Cells were observed with the 

 rods in all stages of development (PI. XX, fig. 16). The rods 

 when short show a tendency to spiral winding. 



Description of the Structure of a New Zealand Land Planarian, 

 Geoplana Traversii. 



Captain Hutton, in his essay on the New Zealand fauna, men- 

 tions the occurrence in New Zealand of two or three species of 

 Land Planarians, one or two of which he states belong to the 

 genus Bipalium.'^ This short reference is as far as I know the 

 only notice of these Planarians which has hitherto been pub- 

 lished. 



When H.M.S. ' Challenger' was at Wellington, Mr. W. T. L. 

 Travers, F.L.S., gave me two specimens of a species of Land 

 Planarian occurring in the neighbourhood of Wellington. Both 

 of these were sexually mature and in sufficiently good preservation 

 to enable me to make out the anatomy of this form with consider- 

 able completeness. 



The Planarians are of elongate form, broadest in their middle 

 and gradually attenuated from thence towards either extremity. 

 They are flattened below and slightly rounded above, and thus 

 resemble the other members of the genus Geoplana in general 

 form. The body is marked with longitudinal stripes, as in most 

 Land Planarians. The length of the largest specimen obtained 

 was 3 cm., and its extreme breadth 8 mm. 



The mouth, or opening of the sheath of the pharynx, is 

 placed in the centre of the body and the generative aperture 

 at a little less than half the distance between the mouth and the 

 posterior extremity. There is no ainbulacralline, the whole under 

 surface acting as one uniform muscular sole. 



Numerous eye-spots are present; these are placed in a 

 single row composed of twelve or more along the front margin 

 of the head and in an elongate patch on either side of the 

 head made up of two or three rows placed one above another, 

 and containing about forty eye-spots (PI. XX, fig. 1). Eye-spots 

 are further scattered more sparsely on the lateral margins of the 

 body, along its entire length posteriorly to this patch. 



The patch itself is thickly beset with pigment which has an 

 irregularly ramified disposition, but amongst which clear trans- 



^ The Geographical Relations of the New Zealand Fauna," by Captain 

 r. W. Hutton, C.M.Z.S., ' Trans. New Zealand Inst.,' vol. v, 1872, p. 23. 



