244 OLIGOCHAETA 



A very large number of species have been assigned to this genus, the names of 

 most of which will be found as synonyms of species now known to belong to other 

 genera, principally the littoral genus Clitellio ; Tuhifex marinus of Lamaeck ( = .£um- 

 bricus tubicola of Mullek) is, according to Vatllant, a Clymene. 



The genus Tuhifex is met with in Europe, North America, and New Zealand. 



(i) Tubifex rivulorum, Lamarck. 



Iiumbrieus tubifex, 0. F. Mullek, Verm, terrestr. 1774, p. 27. 

 Tubifex rivulorum, Lamarck, Hist. An. sans Vert. 1816, iii. p. 225. 

 PStrephuris agilis, Leidy, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1850, p. 45. 

 Nais tubifex, Oken, Lehrb. d. Naturg. 1815, Pt. i. p. 364. 

 „ filiformis ', DuGES, Ann. Sci. Nat. 1838, p. 286. 

 ,, sanguinea, DoYiiKE, Mdm. Soc. Linn. Norm. 1856, p. 306. 

 Tubifex bonneti, CLAPAEiDE, M^m. Soc. Phys. Gen. 1863, p. 330. 

 Saenuris variegata, Hoffmeistee, De verm. quib. ad gen. Lumb. pert. Berlin, p. 9.. 

 „ tubifex, Johnston, Cat. Worms, 1865, p. 64. 

 „ sp. Gegenbaur, Z. wiss. Zool. 1852, p. 237. 

 Blanonais filiformis, Gervais, Bull. Acad. Koy. Belg. 1838, p. 16. 

 ? Saenuris taurica, Czeeniavsky, Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. 1880, p. 333. 

 ? „ peeuliaris, Czeeniavsky, Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. ] 880, p. 333. 

 ? „ diversisetosa, Czerniavsky, Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. 1880, p. 334. 

 ? Tubifex eampanulatus, Etsen, Bih. Svensk. Akad. 1879, no. 16, p. 16. 



Definition. Brain concave in front with well-marked lateral lobes, posteriorly trifid with 



two longer lateral and one smaller central division. Setae of dorsal-bundles, capilliform, 



pectinate, and uncinate. 



As will be seen this species lias a longer list of synonyms appended than almost any other 

 Oligoohaet. A strict adherence to the rules of Zoological nomenclature would necessitate the 

 alteration of the commonly accepted name to Tubifex tubifex, if, that is to say, Lamaeck's Tubifex 

 rivulorum be identical with 0. F. Muller's Lmnbricus tubifex''. On the assumption that there is 

 more than one species of Tubifex in Europe, which is at present far from being proved, there are 

 no positive reasons either for affirming or denying the identity of species described by the older 

 writers with Tubifex riimlorum of d'Udekem, Vejdovsky and others ; there is, for example, nothing 

 against their identification with Eisen's T. eampanulatus. It is perfectly clear, however, from 

 0. F. MiJLLEK's description cited above that he is dealing with a Tubifex from his reference to 



' It is not at all clear to what species Williams (1) refers under this name in describing the vascular 

 system. 



' CzERHiAVSKY (p. 330) does not allow Lamarck's Tubifex rivulorum to be the same as d'Udekem's, 

 nor, in spite of the description of the tubes, Muller's L. tubifex. L. lineatus of the latter author is 

 identified with T. rivulorum, d'Udekem. 



