PACIFIC COAST OLIGOCH^TA. 161 



dorsal. The direction of the spermathecae is in the diameter of head to tail. The}' 

 lie closely pressed to the body-wall. As regards size, the most anterior pair is the 

 smallest, and the most posterior the largest. 



Sparganophilus Benhami n. sp. 

 Figs. 97-119. 

 ILilnfnt. — In the mud of springs, October, Noveinl)cr, 1894. Tepic City, Ter- 

 ritory of Tepic, Mexico, 4000 feet altitude, (^f some fifty specimens collected only 

 three were well developed as regards clitellum and tubercula pubertatis. 



EXTERIOR CHARACTERS. 



Color, reddish-violet, very strongly iridescent. The violet tint is very pro- 

 nounced, much more so than in any other species that I have examined except Sj). 

 gnafemnknsis, where the hhiish-violet tint is very deep and intense. 



Bodij. This is a long and slender species tapering towards the tail end. The 

 cephalic lobe is superiorly not distinct from somite i, but there is a small pit on the 

 boundary between the two. Somites i, ii, iii are less prominent. Somites iv to ix are 

 strongly convex, but x to xv are much less so. The clitoUar intersegmental grooves 

 are only distinct between the ventral sette. 



Dorsal pores. The most anterior dorsal pore is seen between i/ii; the most 

 posterior one between v/vi. There is a central jiit in tiie dorsal side of somites i, ii, iii. 



Olitellum, as in other species; the extent of the clitellum is different on the 

 dorsal and ventral sides. This T think can best be expressed thus: dorsally, gxiv — 

 xxiv; ventrally, xvii — xxvi. The clitellum is continuous, but much less developed 

 ventrally between the tubercula pubertatis than dorsally. This is also characteristic 

 of the other species I have examined. Viewing the clitellum exteriorly, it appears 

 as discontinued between tiie tubercula pubertatis ridges. 



Tnharcula j)tiberfa(is begin in xviii and end in xxii. Each one consists of a 

 straight ridge on the top of which runs a groove parallel to the ridge. Posterior to 

 the tubercula pubertatis proper the ventral part of the clitellum is concave deepening 

 po.steriorly and ending in a deeper pit in the posterior part of xxvi. Anteriorly the 

 tubercula pubertatis ridges continue forwards almost straight and outside of the ventral 

 setie 1 and 2 to the center of xii, where they end in the region of the ventral sette. These 

 two almost parallel ridges are very thin and sharp, several times narrower than the 

 tubercula pubertatis proper. They only appear in fully adult specimens, and are very 

 characteristic. I believe that the underside of the clitellum will furnish good species 

 characteristics if carefully noted. But in order to bring out this region properly the 

 specimens must be slowly killed and then as rapidly as possible be passed through the 

 alcohols into that of 90"'. Formalin specimens do not show the region as well as 

 alcoholic specimens. 



3'Iale pore or spermiducal pore is situated on the anterior j of xx, just lateral 

 to the tubercula pubertatis. The pore is not prominent, but may be readily seen. 



Prostate pores are not prominent, but in adult specimens they may be seen in 

 front of setie 1 and 2 in somites xxiii, xxiv, xxv, xvi. 



