( 629 ) 



XVI. — On the Anatomy, Histology, and Affinities of Phreoryctes. By Frank E. 

 Beddard, M.A., Prosector to the Zoological Society of London, Lecturer on 

 Biology at the Medical School of Guy's Hospital. (With a Plate.) 



(Read 18th February 1889.) 



Introductory. 



Some time since I received from Mr W. Smith of Ashburton, New Zealand, a single 

 example of a worm belonging to the little known genus Phreoryctes, and published in 

 the Annals and Magazine of Natural History for June 1888, a short account of the 

 reproductive organs of this worm, for which I proposed the name of Phreoryctes 

 Smiihii. 



More recently (November 1888) I have received, through the kindness of the same 

 gentleman, a large number of specimens of the same species ; the study of these enables 

 me to offer to this Society a more complete account of the structure of Phreoryctes, 

 which is at present very imperfectly known. It will be seen, however, that the present 

 paper, though more extended, and dealing with organs to which little or no reference 

 was made in my former paper, contains no important correction of facts stated in that 

 paper. I have also appended (p. 638) a discussion of the systematic position and 

 affinities of Phreoryctes. 



Historical. 



The genus Phreoryctes was first described by W. Hoffmeister, in a paper upon the 

 terrestrial Annelida of Germany [A 4, # p. 193] ; the specimen was discovered by Menke, 

 and Hoffmeister gave it the name of Haplotaxis Menkeana. In this paper the 

 worm is compared to Gordius, on account of the thickness of the integument. 

 Hoffmeister regards it as intermediate between Gordius and Lumbricus. It is 

 stated (erroneously) that the outer rows of setse have vanished ; the inner rows of setse 

 consist of simple setse, which are longer than the setse of Lumbricus, and, instead of being 

 hooked at the free extremity, are only slightly bent. A figure is given (pi. ix. fig. 

 vii.) of the head, showing the division of the prostomium. 



In his work, "Die bis jetzt bekannten Arten aus der Familie der Regenwiirmer" 

 [A 5], Hoffmeister alters the name Haplotaxis to Phreoryctes, since the former name 

 had been already applied to a plant. In that work the genus Phreoryctes is thus 

 denned : — " Zwei Reihen einzelner, gerader Borsten ; riisselformige Oberlippe ; Giirtel 

 fehlt ; kein Vulva." 



The species Phreoryctes Menkeanus is briefly re-described and figured. 



The next contribution to our knowledge of this genus is by Schlotthauber [A 9]. 



* These numbers refer to the List of Literature on p. 639. 

 VOL. XXXV. PART II. (NO. 16). 5 I 



