212 MR. F. E. BEDDARD OX XEW EARTHWORMS, [Mar. 19, 



the temperate part of South America as is the genus Acanthoclrihis. 

 1 cannot see any way out of referring Eisen's recentl}' constituted 

 genus Deltania to MicroseoleA', a point which I enter into later. It 

 seems, however, judging from the information at hand, that the 

 headquarters of Microscole.v are the more southerly parts of South 

 America, and that it gi-adually dies out as we get north, finally 

 disappearing in Xorth America. The very small number of genera 

 coupled with the large number of species is a remarkable feature 

 of the earthworm fauna of the temperate part of South America. 

 Up to the present we are only acquainted with four genera, viz. 

 Acanthodrilus, Kerria, PericJuvta, and Microscohx (leaving aside the 

 Lumbricidse as a foreign importation), from this part of the world. 

 Among temperate countries, 2sew Zealand forms a contrast ; it 

 possesses certainly six, if not more, distinct genera. I shall now 

 proceed to treat of the different families seriatim. 



Fam. ACAXTHODRILIB-E. 



This family, as already remarked, is represented in the collection 

 by two genera only — Acanthoclrihts and Kerria. The latter genus 

 is represented by three species, of which I regard two as new. 

 This genus, recently constituted by myself for a small aquatic- 

 species from the Pilcomayo and for E-osa's Acantliodrilusspegazziaii, 

 has been increased by the addition of two new species from Cali- 

 fornia. It therefore ranges through the South-American and part 

 of the !Xorth-American continent. It appears to be rather a 

 tropical form; Buenos Ayres and Valparaiso seem, so far as our 

 present knowledge goes, to mark its southern limit. It is one of 

 those genera that are both aquatic and terrestrial in habit. 



Acanthoclrihis is represented by a large number of species in 

 South America. Altogether we are acquainted with the following, 

 of which the names of those collected by Dr. Michaelsen are 

 printed in italics : — 



12. Acantliodrihis purpui-etis. n. sp. 



13. Acanthodrilus ma^ellanicus, n. sp. 



14. Acanthodrilus bicinctics. n. sp. 



15. Acanthodrilus minutus, n. sp. 



16. Acanthodrilus chilen-sis, n. sp. 



17. Acanthodrilus cingiilatus, n. sp. 



18. Acanthodrilus putablensis, n. sp. 



1. Acanthodrilus littoralis. Kinb. 

 ti. Acanthodrilus bilgeri, Mich. 



3. Acanthodrilus picius, Mich. 



4. Acanthodrilus dalei, F. E. B. 



5. Acanthodrilus platyurus, Mich. 



6. Acantbodrilus georgianus, ]\Iich. 



7. Acanthodrilus falclandicus, F.E.B. 



8. Acanthodrilus aquarum-dulciiun, ' 19. Acanthodrilus cameus, n. sp. 

 F. E. B. \ 20. Acanthodrilus corralensis, n. sp. 



9. Acanthodrilus bovei, Rosa. 



10. Acanthodrilus decipiens, n. sp. 



11. Acanthodrilus occidentalis, n. sp. 



21. Acanthodrilus simulans, n. sp. 



22. Acanthodrilus albus, n. sp. 



This part of the world must be undoubtedly regarded as the 

 headquarters of this genus. ]N^ew Zealand comes next in number 

 of species : but there are only seven referable to the genus as 

 strictly defined. 



The South-American Acanthodrili do not form a definable 

 section of the genus. They all agree, however, in having a clitellum 



