638 Transactions of the Society. 



therefore, apprehensive that all the Rotifers might have been 

 destroyed. In this I was agreeably disappointed. In 21 of the 

 packets Rotifers were found, and in all but one of these the 

 examples were living. Of Bdelloida, 31 species were recognised, 

 and of Ploima, 5. 



Previous experience of arctic, antarctic, and European Rotifers 

 had disposed me to expect little local peculiarity among Bdelloid 

 Rotifera from any part of the world. The Rotifers from India, 

 however, included a number of peculiar species not previously 

 known, and more recent work on mosses from another hot climate, 

 British Guiana, showed that there also were peculiar species, in 

 one instance identical with an Indian species. Of the 31 BdeUoids, 

 11 species are undescribed ; of these, 5 had been previously dis- 

 covered in Europe by Mr. Bryce, 5 are here described, and one is 

 reserved for further study. 



Besides the 31 species, there were 3 well-marked varieties, 

 which are here named and described. Most of the known species 

 which were found occurred as varieties differing more or less 

 widely from the types. 



No Rhizota and few Ploima were found. These do not survive 

 desiccation like the Bdelloids, and those found were probably 

 hatched from eggs. 



'co- 



List of Species. 



Bdelloida. 



Philodina indica sp. n., plate XVIII. figs, la, lb. 



Specific characters. — Large, stout, no eye-spots; corona very 

 broad, exceeding trunk, disks large, with central papillae, widely 

 separated ; length of antenna equal to f diameter of neck ; jaws 

 constricted near the upper margin, teeth 3/3, slightly enlarged 

 towards the points ; foot very short, three-jointed, second joint 

 with annular swelling, from which arise the short conical spurs ; 

 vibratile tags small, narrow ; toes 4. 



Length, when creeping, 430 /x, diameter of corona 140 /x, length 

 of jaw 22 [x. 



Although at a first glance apparently lacking in very marked 

 characters, when the species is compared with the rest of the genus 

 it is seen to be sufficiently well characterised. The lack of eyes 

 marks it off from the majority of the species. The parasitic group 

 (P. laticeps, P. hamata) is distinguished by the long foot, larger 

 spurs, dental formula, etc. The semi-loricated group (P. alpium, 

 P. brycei, P. humerosa) is separated by the thick integument of 

 the trunk, with strong longitudinal and transverse folds. The only 

 two species closely approaching P. indica are P. plena (Bryce) and 

 P. vorax (Janson). From P. vorax, which it resembles in the large 



