] 82 ON A COLLECTION OF EARTHWORMS FROM NEW BRITAIN, THE 



The fir.st accounts of earthworms from this tract of the earth's surface are 

 contained in the memoir of Kinberg entitled " Annulata nova " which was based 

 upon the collection made during the voyage of the Swedish vessel " Eugenia 1 ." These 

 are perfectly unrecognisable and need not detain us ; they are Lumbricus tahitana 

 (from Tahiti), which is possibly a Cryptodrilid : Pheretima montana from the same 

 island, which is clearly a Perichaetid, and probably a Megascolex, judging from 

 the length of the clitellum. Grube described in the " Voyage of the Novara 2 " Peri- 

 chaeta taitensis from Tahiti, and P. subquadrangula from Viti. The former of these 

 species Rosa 3 divided into two to which he gave the names of P. grubei, and P. 

 novarae. The latter species of Grube may be my P. vitiensis*. From the island of 

 Upolu in the Samoa group I described some years since P. upoluensis*. From New 

 Guinea I described P. forbesi 6 , and subsequently Michaelsen 7 founded the species P. 

 neoguinensis. More recently still Rosa 8 has described a variety of Michaelsen's species 

 as well as P. loriae and P. papua from that same island. Dr Benham 9 examined 

 some of Dr Willey's collection and founded upon the material sent to him from 

 New Britain the species P. novae-britannicae, P. sedgiuickii and P. arturi. 



The very widely distributed P. indica was found by myself in a gathering of 

 earthworms from New Caledonia 10 , and from that same island Perrier described Acan- 

 thodrilus ungulatus" (which is not perhaps separable from my A. layardi). I have 

 also recorded the ubiquitous Eudrilus eugeniae 12 from New Caledonia. Dichogaster 

 damonis™ is a Fijian species. The genus Benhamia is represented in New Guinea by 

 B. malarmata 1 *. 



In the present communication I describe as new forms the following species : — 



Perichaeta pacifica, New Britain. 



Perichaeta solomonis, from Narowol and Xew Georgia (Rubiana) of the Solomon 

 Archipelago. 



Perichaeta esafatae, Esafate, New Hebrides. 



I also am able to extend the range of Perichaeta upoluensis to the New Hebrides, 

 of Perichaeta malamaniensis to the New Hebrides and Loyalty Islands, ami of Perichaeta 

 loriae to the Solomon Islands. 



In addition to these species of Perichaeta the collection contained examples of 

 Benhamia from New Britain and from Lifu which I did not further identity. 



1 In Overs, k. vetensk. Ak. Handl., 1866, p. 97 et seq. 



2 Anneliden in Novara Expedition. 



3 Ann. k. Hofmus. Wien, vi. 1891, pp. 35—37. 



4 Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 1892, p. 131. 



5 Proc. Boy. Soc. Edinb., xiv. p. 174. 



6 P. Z. S., 1890, p. 65. 



7 Arch. f. Naturg., 1892, p. 229. 



s Ann. Mus. eiv. Genova (2), xix. p. 60 et seq. 

 9 Journ. Linn. Soc., xxvi. p. 198 et seq. 



10 P. Z. S., 1886, p. 299. 



11 Nouv. Arch, du Mus., 1872, p. 85. 



12 Loc. cit., p. 168. 



13 Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci., xxix. 1889, p. 251. 



14 Rosa, Ann. Mus, civ. Genova (2), xix. p. 57. 



