ON UWNODRiLUS GOTO), n. sp. 



By S. HATAI. 



Assistant in the First High School, Tokyo. 



I take great pleasure in naming the present species after my respected professor 

 Dr. Seitaro Goto, and I wish to offer him my hearty thanks for his supervision of my 

 work. 



This uew species occurs abundantly in ditches and gutters of this city throughout 

 the year, but more particularly during the summer months, when they are so nume- 

 rous as to impart a uniform reddish color by their luxuriance. Its breeding season 

 extends from April to November. Like most other Limicoko, it assembles in clusters 

 and forms large red masses. It usually buries deeply the anterior portion of its body 

 and only protrudes the posterior portion, which constantly executes a wavy oscillatory 

 motion. It sometimes secretes a tenacious substance, by means of which it forms a 

 tube around its body but this is not common. 



The length of the body differs much according to individuals, a large one mea- 

 suring about 70 mm. by 2 mm., the measurement being made on specimens killed 

 after narcotising with alcohol. The number of segments corresponds to the body 

 length, ranging from 100 to 150 in commonly occurring specimens. The length of 

 one segment is about 1 mm. at the anterior part, but only 0.1 mm. at the posterior 

 end. The body is cylindrical, and the width gradually diminishes posteriorly. The 

 prostomium presents a somewhat conical form. The first ten segments always pre- 

 sent secondary annulations. 



The color is blood red in the anterior part, except the clitellum which is milky 

 white ; the posterior portion is slightly tinged with yellow and the intersegmental 

 lines are yellowish. When the sperm-sacs are filled with spermatozoa, that portion of 

 the body appears white and tbe vascular system is clearly visible through the delicate 

 body wall. 



The clitellum is slightly swollen and is complete. It is usually confined to seg- 

 ment XI. but in a few of the specimens examined by me it extended from the posterior 

 half of segment X to the anterior half of segment XII. In a surface view a reticulat- 

 ed sculpture may be observed with a low magnification. 



