286 Dr. A. Willey on Peripatus novge-britannise. 



breadth 26*2; nasals 15x7'2; interorbital breadth 8*5; 

 breadth across postorbital processes 9*5 ; least breadth across 

 brain-case 16*2 ; greatest posterior breadth on auditory 

 meatus 24*7 ; palate length from henselion 20*7 ; diastema 13 ; 

 length of upper molar series 8*6 ; greatest diameter of ante- 

 rior tooth (f>.*) 3*5. 



Uab. " Las Talas," Ensenada, La Plata. 



Ti/pe collected June 24, 1896. Original number 169. 



This little species may be readily distinguished from any 

 hitherto described by its small size, dark coloration, and 

 slender skull. 



XLVIL — On Peripatus novae-britannige, sp. n. 

 By Aethur Willey, D.Sc. 



Last year I obtained thirteen specimens of a species of Peri- 

 patus in New Britain, of which eleven were females and the 

 remaining two males. The following brief diagnosis will 

 suffice to show that this species constitutes a new (Melanesian) 

 type of Peripatus, conforming neither to the type of the Neo- 

 tropical, nor of the Australasian, nor of the Ethiopian species. 

 L Colour. — In the living animal the colour consists gene- 

 rally of large and small brownish-yellow spots dotted 

 upon a black background. On the dorsal surface the 

 larger spots are arranged segmentally, one row on each 

 side above the bases of the legs and another row on 

 each side of the median line. On the ventral surface 

 there is a median row of brown spots surrounding the 

 ventral organs. The black ground-colour developed a 

 bluish tinge after preservation in 5-per-cent. formol, 

 and the ventral surface was then seen to be rather less 

 deeply pigmented than the dorsal surface. 

 IL Female. 



1. Length of largest specimen 54*75 raillim., with 



maximum width of 5 millim. 



2. Twenty -four pairs of claw-bearing appendages. 

 *3. Legs provided with three spinous pads ; the aper- 

 tures of the enlarged segmental organs of the 

 fourth and fifth legs placed in the centre of the 

 third or proximal pad ; a similarly placed aperture 

 sometimes occurs on the sixth leg. 



*4. Feet with a primary papilla on the anterior and 



* Nos. 3 to 5 apply to both sexes. 



