ON THE OVIPAI?OITS RPECIES OF ONYCHOPHOCA, 397 



A number of variations of pattern have been described b}^ 

 myself (2) in specimens from Ballarat, Victoria, and by 

 Fletcher (3) in specimens from Mount Kosciusko, which Steel 

 (2) has shown to belong- to this species. 



A good-sized female specimen, when crawling, measured 

 39 mm. in length, exclusive of the antennae. Full-grown 

 females preserved in alcohol and contracted in the usual 

 manner (not extended by drowning) measure about 20 mm. in 

 length (exclusive of antenna) by 4"5 mm. in greatest breadth 

 (exclusive of legs). The presence in the body of the very 

 large eggs may make a female appear much broader than 

 would otherwise be the case (compare fig. 6). 



The males seem to be commonly somewhat smaller than 

 the females, but not very much. Further information is 

 wanted on this head, however, and also on the proportions in 

 which the sexes occur. As to the latter question I may say 

 that there does not appear to be any great difference between 

 the numbers of the two. I have not kept any record myself, 

 but Mr. Fletcher (3), amongst thirty-five specimens from 

 Mount Kosciusko, found eighteen males and seventeen 

 females. 



Discussion of Relationships. — That Ooperipatus 

 oviparus is in many respects very closely related to the 

 common viviparous New South Wales species (Pe rip at us 

 Leuckartii) there cannot be the slightest doubt. Indeed, 

 apart from the oviparous habit and, in correlation therewith, 

 the presence of an ovipositor in the female and of a chorion 

 outside the vitelline membrane of the egg, I know of no 

 characters by which it could be distinguished, for the pattern 

 of the skin is in both species too variable to be satisfactory, 

 and the two may resemble one another very closely in this 

 respect. 



In the case of female specimens, the presence of the 

 conspicuous ovipositor affords an easy means of recognition, 

 and I am glad to be able to quote in this connection the 

 testimony of Mr. T. Steel, who has perhaps examined a larger 

 number of individual specimens of Australian Onychophora 



