668 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON NEW [DeC. 20, 



the phrase " as a rule more than one gizzard." According to this 

 definition my Acanthodrilus multiporus should be referred to the 

 genus Benhamia ; and yet it differs from the African species (Africa 

 is at present the headquarters of the genus) in a number of cha- 

 racters : there are no penial setae ; the calciferous glands are limited 

 to a single pair ; the dorsal vessel is double ; the setae are not strictly 

 paired, but separated by a httle distance. There are two other species 

 described in the present paper which agree with A. multiporus in 

 these points ; a fourth species, Acanthodrilus antarcticus, agrees 

 with A. multiporus in most of these characters, but not in all. 



It has penial setse ; the two pairs of calciferous glands are in 

 segments xv., xvi., and there is a smaller gland in xiv. ; only the single 

 gizzard and the distant setse distinguish this species from the majority 

 of those assigned by Michaelsen and others to the genus Benhamia. 

 In spite, however, of the near resemblance of this particular 

 Acanthodrihd to Benhamia, I am not inclined to refer it to that 

 genus. In the first place it is possible that Benhamia schlegelii, which 

 is stated to have but one gizzard, has really two ; the two gizzards 

 in this genus are often so close together that it is not a little difficult 

 to make out that they are really two ; the interval of soft-walled 

 oesophagus between them is reduced to the lowest terms in many 

 cases. In the second place, Acanthodrilus antarcticus is so like 



A. multiporus in other particulars that it would be doing violence 

 to their obvious relationship to separate them\ Taking into account 

 also the distribution of these species it seems reasonable, now that 

 the old genus Acanthodrilus is being broken up, to associate the 

 New Zealand species here referred to into a genus distinct from 

 Benhamia, which may be termed Octochcetus. It will be thus 

 defined : — 



Octocliastus, nov. gen. 



Prostomium not continued by grooves on to buccal segment ; clitel- 

 him xiii.-ocix. (cex.) ; male pores on prominent papillce ; setee distant ; 

 ventral setae present on segment xviii. ; a single gizzard in vi,, or v. 

 and vi., or v. ; calciferous glands one or two pairs, in xvii., xviii., or 

 XV. and xvi.; typMosole well developed ; nephridia disuse, a mucous 

 gland present ; dorsal vessel double from seventh segment omuards ; 

 diverticula of spermatothecce very minute. — Distribution : New 

 Zealand. 



There is another character to which comparatively little attention 

 has been paid, which may prove to distinguish the genera Benhamia 

 and Acanthodrilus. In the two species of Benhamia described in 

 the present paper, as well as in B. stuhlmanni (for an opportunity 

 of examining which I am indebted to Dr. Michaelsen), there are 

 no setse upon the xviiith segment where the ventral pair should 



^ It may turn out that the position of the gizzard distinguishes my genus 

 Octochcetus from Benhamia ; I am aware that Eosa speaks of the gizzards of 



B. scioana as occupying segments v. and vi. ; this is at present the only excep- 

 tion to the rule that in Benhamia the gizzards are a segment or two further 

 back. 



