ADDITIONS TO THE KOTIFERA OF OIIEENSEAND. 



By W. R. COL.LEDGE. 



{Read before the Royal Society of Qtiee)island, September 

 2Sth, 1914. 



The present paper brings before the .Society a few 

 additions I have made to the known Rotifera of our State. 

 In the year 1889, Surgeon Gunson Thor])e visited Brisbane, 

 and subsequently gave to this Society two papers containing 

 a list of 23 of these interesting microscopic animals. Four 

 years ago I gave a paper extending the number to 102, 

 I am now able to add 32, thus bringing the total up to 134 

 species. There are probably about 1.000 species which 

 have been identified. These are distributed over all parts 

 of the world. No country can claim exclusively any 

 particular species. Some of the same kinds, found in Africa 

 and Australia, were found on Ross Island in the Antarctic 

 regions l)y Mr. James Murray. Some specimens were got 

 from the bottom of a lake which had been solidly frozen 

 for an unknown number of years. Fifteen feet of sohd ice 

 were bored before the layer of mud was reached in which 

 they lay,, but they recovered, and came to life immediately 

 they were placed in water. At Padua, in Italy, ten species 

 were found living in the hot springs at a temperature from 

 35° to 45° Centigrade. Thus, though of remarkably delicate 

 and complicated organisation, they are capable of existing 

 under a wide range of temperature. 



