146 
Transactions of the Society. 
Megalotroclia semibullaia swarms in almost every pond. Measure- 
ments gave the size of the cluster, which is perfectly visible to the 
naked eye, as 1 /14 in. in diameter, the length of the individual rotifer 
being about 1/28 in.* No gelatinous tubes are present, but the 
animals secrete a long mucous thread from the united extremities of 
their feet, to which portions of excreta and other debris adhere, and 
by which the cluster is suspended from the leaves and stems of water 
plants and from the sides of the glass vessel which contains them. 
The thread, however, is very fragile, and the cluster is easily 
detached ; the water seems always to contain many free-swimming 
clusters. 
In this Journal for 1891, p 304, I published a description of a 
rotifer found in the bogs of Ireland under the name of Rhinops 
orbiculodiscus. This rotifer I have again found in a pond at Wuku, and 
now take the opportunity to correct an error, which I much regret, in 
that I failed to detect a dark red eye situated deeply behind the dorsal 
antenna. The size of this rotifer is 1/170 in., and in its habits it 
reminds one of the lively little Notommata lacinulata, and like it, 
it secretes a mucous thread from its toes, by which it anchors. Its 
classification will probably necessitate the formation of a new genus, 
but further observations, especially as regards the structure of the 
trophi, will first be needed. 
As regards the new species, a new genus must be formed for the 
reception of a very beautiful Melicertan ; the characters of the genera 
Lacinularia and Megalotrocha will need some alteration for the 
reception of four Kotifera ; whilst the genera Trochosphsera , 
Dinocharis, and Rotops are enriched by the discovery of new species. 
Family Melicertid.®. 
Genus nov. Octotrocha. 
Gen. Ch. — Corona of eight lobes. Dorsal gap wide. 
0. speciosa. PL II. fig. 1 . 
This magnificent creature I found attached to plants in the 
Wushan Creek, Yangstze-Kiang river, in August 1892. The 
corona is extremely complicated, and consists of eight lobes, which are 
wrapped, as it were, around the head of the animal like a bonnet. 
Four dorsal lobes (fig. 1 b, a , /3), corresponding to those which grace 
the genus Melicerta, are prolonged at their sides to form ventro- 
laterally two ventral lobes (fig. 1 c, 8), and downwards two lateral 
lobes (fig. 1 c, 7 ). The fringe of cilia is continuous, except between 
the two lower dorsal lobes (fig. 1 b, ft), where a very wide dorsal gap 
exists (fig. 1 b , e). The rotifer inhabits a gelatinous tube of a 
yellowish colour, to which extraneous particles adhere. This is pro- 
* This differs somewhat from the measurements given in this Journal, 1889, 
p. 613. 
