280 H. N. MOSELEY. 



belonged to another species. The method of reproduction of the 

 land planarians thus is closely similar to that obtaining in aquatic 

 forms, such as Dendrocaliim lacteum, and is such as it was 

 conjectured that it would prove to be {' Phil. Trans./ 1. c, pp. 

 139, 141). 



Australian Land Planarians. 



I have been able to find no published description of these 

 forms, for the reception of which I have made the new genus 

 Coe)ioplana. They are remarkable for their length, one species, 

 Coenoplana subviridis, attaining to a length of 17'5 cm., and in 

 this respect they form a step towards the Manilla Dolichoplanas 

 from the Geoplanas, which they resemble in the arrangement of 

 the eyes. Their anatomy I have not yet worked out, but a few 

 transverse sections made show that they closely resemble Rhyn- 

 chodemus in the structure of their lateral organs, whilst in the 

 arrangement of their muscles they are intermediate between 

 Geoplana and Dohchoplana, from which latter they differ princi- 

 pally in having many small eye-spots instead of single pair of 

 larger eyes. 



The specimens procured were found in New South Wales, at 

 Parramatta and at Camden Park. They were found during the 

 day coiled up in cavities under fallen logs, and at night, observed 

 with a lantern, crawling in the trunks of Eucalyptus trees, 

 especially about wounds from which sap was exuding 



The remarkable Prussian blue-coloured Ccenoplana cmrulea has 

 its intense pigment contained to a large extent in the rod-cells, 

 which stand out thus in relief in the vertical sections of the 

 animal. The blue colour changes to red when the pigment is 

 acted on by acids, but the red colouring matter of C. sanguinea 

 does not become blue, as might possibly have been expected, when 

 acted on by alkalies.^ 



At Aru, Ke, and Amboina, land planarians were not found, 

 though searched for carefully. 



At Ternate one specimen of the form of a Ceylon Ehyncho- 

 demus was met with under the bark of a tree at an elevation of 

 about 2000 feet. Tlie planarian was of a bright yellow, with a 

 single, median, narrow, dorsal, black stripe, extending the entire 

 length of the animal. It was more lively than any land planarian 

 which I have hitherto seen, wriggling out of a box or the hand 

 with great quickness. The specimen, unfortunately, perished 

 almost entirely from not having been placed in alcohol soon 

 enough. Enough remained to show that it had a remarkable 



1 " On the Colouring Matters of Various Animals, and especially of Deep 

 Sea Forms, dredged by H.M.S. Challenger." By H, N. Moseley, ' Quart. 

 Jouru. Micro. Science,' Vol. XVII, new ser., p. 1. 



