276 ORDER POLYLAIMIA 



9-5 13. 16-6 <45; 83. 



61. Myctolaimus pellucidus n. sp. 

 traces of a very fine transverse striation. No amphids or setae of any sort to 

 be seen. Head continuous. Six relatively large, obtusely conical lips, each 

 supplied with an obscure papilla, surround the mouth. The cuticle at the base 

 of the lips, and at the beginning of the pharyngeal tube, is somewhat thickened, 

 and this gives rise to obscure rings at the base of the lip-region. The unusually 

 long pharynx is divided into two very distinct parts of about equal length, 

 together occupying nearly two-thirds the length of the neck. The anterior part 

 is a simple, narrow, straight strongly cutinized tube, having a lumen one-third as 

 wide as the lip-region. The succeeding second part of the pharynx is a cylindroid 

 bulb, rounded at both ends, and two-thirds as wide as the corresponding part of 

 the neck. Its lumen is triangular and of about the same width as that of the 

 anterior part of the pharynx, from which it is separated by a distinct break in 

 the continuity of the cutinous lining. From this elongated bulb a tube one-sixth 

 as wide as the corresponding part of the neck passes backward and gradually 

 expands into a valveless bulb half as wide as the base of the neck, thus complet- 

 ing the oesophagus. The intestine, which at first is colorless and transparent and 

 only one-fourth as wide as the body, gradually expands and becomes half as wide 

 as the body and distinctly granular. The refractive lining of the intestine is a 

 prominent feature. The cardia is unusually long and narrow, and opens into a 

 small cardiac cavity. The cells composing the intestine are relatively large. 

 The length of the well-cutinized rectum is about one and one-half times that of 

 the anal body diameter. Renettte unknown. The width of the lateral fields is 

 one-third that of the body. The nerve-ring is small and narrow. The acute 

 tail is almost exactly conical. The vulva is very slightly elevated. The ovaries 

 extend back as far as the vulva, and are often there again reflexed. Each uterus 

 contains one to two eggs, measuring 32 X 56 microns. Segmentation takes place 

 in the uterus, and proceeds to at least the gastrula stage, probably beyond it. 



4.9 3j 3-2 5.7 "">- 2.5 1 The tail of the male instead of being conical is 

 convex-conoid in the anterior half, tapering in this part in such a fashion that 

 the middle of the tail is one-fourth as wide as the base; thence onward the tail is 

 cylindroid to the acute terminus. While the anterior part of the tail is ventrally 

 arcuate, the remainder is dorsally arcuate. No ventral supplements or bursa. 

 Nine pairs of papillae, mostly finger-shaped, are arranged as follows: 1; 1(1)1, 1; 

 1, 3. The linear, tapering, rather blunt spicula somewhat exceed the anal body 

 diameter in length. The spicula are supported by sigmoid accessory pieces half 

 as long as they themselves. The reflexed part of the testis is nearly equal to the 

 neck in length; it can be seen to contain small glassy, globular spermatocytes, 

 which reach their full growth near the middle of the body, becoming as long as 

 the body is wide and two-thirds as wide as long. At this stage they are granular, 

 with a large central nucleus containing a prominent nucleolus. By division these 

 large cells give rise to the granular spermatozoa, an elongated parcel of a dozen 

 or more of which is usually to be seen in each uterus of the female. 



Habitat: Sheep-dung, Moss Vale, New South Wales, September 2, 1894. It 

 will be seen that this genus is similar to Cephalobus. It is equally clear that it 

 is generically distinct. It is unfortunate that no specimens of this species were 

 preserved, and hence no drawings can be presented. This is all the more to be 

 regretted because the genus is evidently closely related not only to Cephalobus 

 but to one or two others of similar character. 



