SPECIES OF PLANABRIAN WORM. AL 
on its systematic position and relationship. The 348 species of 
Land-planarians are now divided into five great families, viz. :— 
Limacopside. 
Geoplanide. 
Bipaliide. 
Cotyloplanide. 
Rhynchodemide. 
Of which the latter is defined by Prof. von Graff as possessing 
two eyes near the anterior end of body, whilst tentacles, sucking- 
dises, and head-plates are absent. There can be no doubt, there- 
fore, from the description given above, that the new Pyrenean 
species belongs to that family. The latter includes the seven 
genera Rhynchodemus, Microplana, Amblyplana, Nematodemus, 
Platydemus, Dolichoplana, and Othelosoma. The genera Micro- 
plana and Amblyplana are devoid of sensory grooves ; and Nema- 
todemus has no sole, whilst both sensory grooves and a gole are 
present in the species described. The genera Platydemus and 
Dolichoplana have sensory pits which are absent in our species; 
and finally Othelosoma is distinguished from all other members 
of the family by the possession of a peculiarly folded and 
attenuated head-region. 
In fact the new European land-planarian undoubtedly belongs 
to the genus Rhynchodemus, and its nearest relation appears to 
be Rh. terrestris. It differs, however, from the latter in being 
more than 12 times as long, in the possession of rhabdites, of a 
marginal glandular area on the underside of the body, and in 
many minor structural points in the reproductive organs. 
As regards the geographical distribution of the family Rhyn- 
chodemid@, it is the only cosmopolitan one, and two of its genera, 
viz. Rhynchodemus and Microplana, have been found in Europe. 
The last genus in fact, with its single species MM. humicola 
(first described by Prof. Vejdovsky), is confined to our Continent. 
Thirty-four species of Rhynchodemus are known to science, of 
which five, viz., Rh. terrestris, Rh. bilineatus, Rh. pyrenaicus: 
Rh. albicollis, and Rh. Scharffi, occur in Europe. To these must 
now be added Rh. Howest. Some of them are apparently very 
local forms, Rh. bilineatus and Rh. albicollis having only been 
found in Germany, Rh. pyrenaicus and Rh. Howest in the 
Pyrenees, and Rk. Scharff in Ireland; but Rh. terrestris has a 
much wider range. It is known from Denmark, England, 
Treland, France, Germany, Austria, and the Balearic Islands, 
