120 



Memoirs of the Indian Museum. 



[Vol.. I, 



(i) The phyletically oldest genera P/wi(g//ws, Megascolides [DiporochcBta) , Spenceri- 

 clla and Woodwardia (fig. ii in the text), with Australia as their headquarters, are 

 spread, apparently without restriction, over the whole region, without 



gaining a great importance as to the number of species. At the same time they show 

 a more or less wide distribution in other directions, namely towards North 

 x\ m erica and New Zealand. But this north-eastward or eastward distribution 

 diminishes in the order of genera from the oldest to the youngest {Plutellus and 



O Notoscolex 

 • Megascolex 



Megascolides : North America ; Dtporochœta : Chatham Islands ; Spenceriella : lyittle 

 Barrier Island near the North Island of New Zealand ; Woodwardia : Australia). 



(2) The phyletically intermediate genera Notoscolex and Megascolex (fig. iii in 

 the text) are, in our region, restricted to Ceylon and vSouth India and on 

 the other hand to Australia 



