508 Miscellaneous. 



cilosely approaches Ehabdltis terricola, Dujardin, belonging to the 

 genus Leptodera of Schneider, and the differences which separate it 

 therefrom do not appear to me to be of generic value. The species 

 only is new, and may be characterized as follows : — 



Length of the adult 5 1 millim., width about 0-04 millim. Body 

 cylindrical, slightly narrowed in front, much more tapered behind. 

 Surface of the body smooth ; transverse furrows become visible when 

 the animal, emptied of its viscera, retracts itself strongly. 



The mouth is formed by three, not very distinct lips, the unpaired 

 one trilobate. The triquetral, muscular oesophagus occupies about 

 one fifth of the body ; it is divided into three portions — an elon- 

 gated anterior part, narrower in front, and suddenly constricted 

 itehind into a sort of strait, which forms the median portion, which 

 is elongated and precedes a posterior part dilated into an ovoid giz- 

 zard. Towards the middle of the latter a _v-shaped spot may be distin- 

 guished ; it indicates a cartilaginous valve or stomachal armature. 



The intestine, inflated anteriorly into a stomach (ventricuh), fol- 

 lows the oesophageal apparatus and terminates at a lateral anus 

 near the base of the tail. Its walls are not very distinctly visible ; 

 but a pair of brownish yellow glands bound it on each side through- 

 out its whole length. These glands are usually arranged in symme- 

 trical masses. The whole of these organs are alwaj's more or less 

 displaced in the female by the mass of ova. 



The vulva is situated on the right side of the body a little above 

 the middle. It leads into a uterus which is extended before and 

 behind, and at maturity contains from twenty to thirty ova, more 

 or less heaped together. These ova are at first of a horny brown 

 colour, but afterwards become yellow and show the embryo. They 

 are sometimes hatched in the uterus. 



The female presents neither wings, folds, nor tubercles along the 

 body. 



The male, which is about one fifth less than the female, has a 

 testis surrounding the mass of the intestine and the annexed glands, 

 and terminating at an apparatus situated to the right at the origin 

 of the tail, quite close to the anus. This penial apparatus is com- 

 posed of two small horny spicules, which are recurved, inflated at 

 their base, attenuated at the apex, and inserted upon the same 

 transverse plane of the animal. A very delicate horny piece, 

 situated a little further hacl\ shorter and broader than the spicules, 

 is recurved in the form of an umbilicus round their base. The 

 tail is shorter than in the female, and is always turned to the right, 

 like the spicules. 



In copulation the male twists the posterior portion of his body 

 round the vulvar portion of that of the female. The copulation 

 appeared to me to be of short duration ; the males are moreover 

 much less numerous than the females. 



This description applies only to the adult age of both sexes. At 

 its escape from the ovum the digestive organs of the young worm 

 are scarcely apparent, the intestine is not so long in proportion to 

 the oesophagus, and the uterus is not visible. 



It is when about half-grown that these worms arc most frequently 



