NOV 29 1898 



NEW OR IMPERFECTLY KNOWN SPECIES OF 

 EARTHWORMS. NO. 1. 



By KBITARO (.oio, Professor, and SHIXKICHI HATAI, Assistant. 

 First High Fchool Tokyo. 



In this series of papers we purpose to describe new or imperfectly known 

 species of earthworms collected from various parts of the Japanese Empire ; and 

 at the outset we wish to state clearly the respective part which each of us has 

 taken in the work. For the practical portion of the work as well as the deter- 

 mination of new species the credit is entirely due to the junior writer (H), while 

 for a general supervision of the work and the form in which the results are pre- 

 sented the senior writer is alone responsible. The species will be described with- 

 out any definite order, as their study is completed. In the present paper we 

 have put together ouly the species of the genus Perichœla that have come into 

 •our hands 



The following characters, which are, unless otherwise stated, common to all, 

 have been omitted in the following descriptions: (1) Gizzard in VIII — IX; 

 (2) ovaries in XIII, oviduct pore in XIV; (3) spermduct pores in XVIII. 



1 . f Perichœla fcieboìdii, Horst. 

 We mention this species, the oldest known to science from Japan, with a 

 •query, because, strange to say, we have not yet come across any specimen exact- 

 ly answering to its descriptions given by European writers They all agree 

 in stating that the spermatheese are situated in VI/VII, VII/VIII, and 

 VIII/IX, and the number of sette between the male genital pores are given as 

 13,* while for the spermatliecal region it is given as 76 by Rosa and 80 by 

 Hobst, f Now the numerous specimens which we regard as belonging to P. 

 éùiboMii all present this difference that, the spermatheca lie in V/VI, 



* Eosa, D. — Die exotischen Teriicolen des K. K. naturhistorischen Hofmuseurns (Wien), 

 1891, p. 401 ; " Die männlichen Geschlechtsoffnungen am 18. Segment liegen in der 14. 

 B rstenlinie." 



t We Lave not been :ible to pain access to Honor's original description, and have there- 

 tore relied on references by later writers. 



