CHAPTER in. 



The Australasian Species — General Characters. 



Peripatus with fifteen pairs of claw-bearing ambulatory legs, 

 with three spinous pads on the legs, and a primary papilla pro- 

 jecting from the median dorsal portion of the foot (figs. 21, 31a). 

 The ventral organs are conspicuous, and the males are consi- 

 derably smaller than the females. The generative opening is 

 between the legs of the last pair, and there are no anal papillae. 

 The number of legs are constant in all specimens. The ovaries 

 are attached by their whole length to the floor of the peri- 

 cardium, and each oviduct is provided with a receptaculum 

 seminis. The unpaired portion of the vas deferens is long and 

 complicated in structure. The ova are large and heavily 

 charged with food yolk. The portion of the proximal pad of 

 the fourth and fifth legs which carries the opening of the 

 nephridium is continuous distally with the rest of the pad 

 (fig. 21). A median dorsal white line is present. 



Two species are known from the Australasian region; 

 P. nova-zealandicB from New Zealand, and P. Leuckarti from 

 Queensland in Australia. 



The former was first described by Captain Huttou (No. 19), 

 the latter by Saenger (No. 15). 



Peripatus Novae-Zealandiae. 



(Pigs. 7 and 17.) 



Australasian Peripatus, without a small tooth at the base of 

 the main tooth of the outer blade of the jaw, and without a white 

 papilla on the ventral side of the last leg of the male. 



The males are considerably smaller and less numerous than 



