I'.ll HORN KXPKDITION — SlMMAItY, 



Tlio iiioi'o soutliprn poi-tion of tlio cf)nstal district is charactcriscfl liy tlio 

 jirosonco of Ci yptndrilus. Disaster, Mogascolidcs (tiio stroin^'hold of wliicli is 

 \"ic-tofia), Tiin('|iliriis, wliilsl RTcn'ascolox and I )ipi>iT)clia'ta ai'i" in<is( la,i-i;('ly 

 d('\i'lopi"^d lierc, thoiiL;h to a rortain c.xtont tlicy sjircad iioii liwards. 



Vietoi'ia tog-ctlicr with Tasmania, coastal New South AN'ah's and (,)vi<^cnsla,iid, 

 may lio i-ogardcd at present as possessii^ rliree gcoups of l*]arth worms, tlio 

 Queensland and iioithern fauna hcMUt,' mai'ked oiV fi'om the other two hy the 

 jireseiice of Acauthodrihis and tcue Pei-icha'ta. and the entire ahsence of Megasco- 

 lides and to a very marked degree oi jMegascolex, Diporocha'ta and Cryptodrilus. 



(/') Tiirhcllaria. — At the present time, though a considerable nund)er of land 

 planariaus liave been described, it is scarcely possible to say anything very definite 

 with regard to their distiibution in lack of any knowledge of tlieir occurrence over 

 th(^ whole of the west and north-west anil to a very large extent the north-east of 

 the continent, (ieoplana is widely distributed ov(>r Tasmania, New South Wales, 

 and (^hieensland and extends across to New Z(^aland. In legard to the species 

 present in the latter Dr. Dendy,* to whom we ai'c indebted for the greater j)art of 

 oui" information i'elati\'e to the Australasian foi'ms other tha.n those of New South 

 Wales, which have been described i)y Messrs. If'ietcher and Jfamilton, says: "T 

 find that few of these (twenty species) can witli safety be absolutely identified with 

 Australia)! species, yet in several cases the dillerences are extremely slight and not 

 such as would, in my opinion, justify a specitic distinction if the vari(>ties w(>re 

 found together." The genus Rhynchodemus so far as at present known is pi-esent 

 in Australia in Victoria, increases in nundx'r in New South Wales and is iccorded 

 also from (.Queensland, but oidy doubtfully from New Zealand, wdiile Cot)lojila,na 

 is only known fiom Loid Howe Island. 



On the continent the genus Geoplana is the dominant one, but in curious 

 contrast to the close similarity of certain species of New Zealand and Victoria 

 those of the latter and New South Wales .seem, with the exception of a ver}- sm.ill 

 proportion, to l)e distinct. 



(r) Ni'iiiertiiica. — So far as at present known the only Australian species are 

 Gcoiiciiicrfes ai/sfra/ieusis and G- vovir-liollniidicr. On the continent the foi-mer is 

 as yet known only from the eastern and south-eastern part, including New South 

 Wales, Victoiia and Tasmania. 



In the thiee latter groups, viz., 01igocha>ta, Turbellaria and Neniertinea, tlie 

 fauna of the eastern coastal district stands as nnght have been expected in strong 

 contrast to that of the extensive but dry inteni.d a-ea of the continent. 



* Aust. Ass. Attv. S<u., Brisbane, vol. vi. ISn."), p. US. 



