HIBUDINEA. 



By W. A. Harding. 



Dr. Annandale has placed in my hands a large collection of Indian Hirudinea 

 and my hearty thanks are due to him for the opportunity of examining so large 

 a body of interesting material. The results of my work upon this collection will 

 appear in due course and I confine myself here, at Dr. Annandale' s request, to a 

 report upon the leeches obtained during the investigations by Dr. Kemp and himself 

 on the fauna of the Chilka Lake. These consist of examples of three new 

 Rhynchobdellid species, whilst the general collection of Indian Hirudinea just refer- 

 red to contains examples from this lake of another Rhynchobdellid species, a 

 colour- variety of the widely distributed Glossosiphonia heteroclita. It will be 

 convenient to deal with this leech first. 



Glossosiphonia heteroclita, Linn. (1761). 



This well-known leech occurs in North America and throughout the greater 

 part of Europe and it is now recorded from India for the first time. It is not 

 peculiar to the Chilka Lake, and in the general collection are examples from many 

 parts of India, showing it to be widely distributed there. The Indian examples 

 agree with the normal type, with the exception of black markings present on the 

 pale golden-yellow dorsal surface. European specimens are generally free from black 

 pigment, but Apathy (1888, p. 790) describes a variety (striata) having black 

 transverse stripes, more or less broken, on every third ring. 



Castle (1900, p. 42, pi. viii, fig. 38) finds in the United States various gradations 

 between the typical yellow form, and a form with transverse striae and an irregular 

 longitudinal mid-dorsal band. The Indian examples have the black pigment disposed 

 in a broken mid-dorsal line and further investigations may prove that they represent 

 a new variety. 



The examples of this species, collected by Dr. Annandale at Lake Chilka in 

 March, 1910, are accompanied by the following notes : — 



(a) Found " among weeds in pond. Rambha, S. end of Chilka Lake." 



(b) From fC S. end of Chilka Lake." 



[This leech appears to be very common on freshwater molluscs of the genera 

 Vivipara and Pachylabra all over India. In the Chilka Lake it is only found in 

 flooded areas of fresh or practically fresh water. — N.A.] 



