NEW SPECIES OP THE GENUS AULODRTLUS. 943 



44. Two New Indian Species o£ the little-known Genus 

 Aulodrilus Bretscher of the Aquatic Oligochseta belong- 

 ing to the Family TubificidjB. By H. R. Mehra, M.Sc, 

 Zoological Department, Benares Hindu University. 

 (From the Zoological Laboratory, Cambridge.) * 



[Received July 27, 1922 : Read November 21, 1922.] 

 (Plates I.-lII.t; Text-fig-ures 1-9.) 



Contents. 



Page 



(1) Introduction and Previous Work on tlie Genus 943 



(2) Diagnosis of tlie Genus and Species 945 



(3) Aulodrilus kashi, s,T^. w 946 



(a) Habits and External Characters 946 



(5) Internal Anatomy 948 



(4) Aulodinlus stepJiensoni, s]}. n 963 



(a) External Characters 963 



(6) Internal Anatomy 964 



(5) Remarks on the Systematic Position of these Worms ... 965 



(6) Summary 967 



(7) List of References 968 



(1) Introduction and Previous Work on the Genus. 



The material which forms the subject of this paper was 

 obtained from the mud at the bottom of a big pond known as 

 Hewari-talab in Benares. This pond has its source of supply in 

 the waste water from the city waterworks, in which the water 

 from the Ganges is mainly used for the supply of the town. 



In the same mud were also found many specimens of Limno- 

 clrihis sociaUs Stephenson and Branchiura soiverhyi Beddard, 

 common Indian Tubificids ; BrancJiiodrilus hortensis Stephenson, 

 Dero limosa Leidy, and Atdophorus furcatus Oken, gilled Naido- 

 morphs. Till recently the only Tubificidpe known from India 

 were represented by four species, each belonging to a different 

 genus. Besides Limnodo-ilus socicdis and Branchiura sowerhyi 

 there were only two other rather rare species, Bothrioneuron iris 

 Beddard and Monopylephorics parvus Ditlevsen. In a paper 

 just published (15) Stephenson has announced the discovery of 

 Tidiifex tubifex and Aidodi'ilus remex in that country. It appears 

 that Tubifex, which is a common European Tubificid, is rai'e in 

 India and probably in the East. The species described in the 

 present paper belong to the genus Aulodrilus, which is at present 

 the least known genus of the Tubificidse. This genus was estab- 

 lished by Bretscher (4) in 1899 for A. limnohius in Switzerland, 



* Communicated by Dr. J. Stephenson, F.Z.S, 

 t For explanation of the Plates, see p. 969. 



