Miscellaneous . 
121 
Preliminary Account of a new Australian Peripatus. 
By Akthttk Dexdy, M.Sc., F.L.S.* 
A few months ago I had the pleasure of reading before the Field 
Naturalists’ Club a short account of a trip to Walhalla f, in which I 
described some of the Land-Planarians met with. As a result of 
this paper one of our members, Mr. H. It. Hogg, began to collect 
Planarians for me at Macedon. I requested him to look out also 
for Peripatus , and, with a view to so doing, he carefully examined 
some of my specimens of P. Leuckartii . Mr. Hogg has not been 
long in meeting with success in his researches into the cryptozoic 
fauna of Macedon, and a short time ago he kindly brought me a 
number of beautiful Planarians, all alive, and five specimens of 
Peripatus , two alive and three in spirits. 
The Planarians I hope to describe at a future date ; the Peri- 
patus I propose to deal with in the present communication. 
Although all small, the specimens proved of the greatest interest, 
for they undoubtedly belong to a new species. The only 
Australian species of Peripatus hitherto described is P. Leuckartii , 
Ssenger, which ranges through Queensland, New South Wales, and 
Victoria, and for details as to which I must refer the reader to my 
paper in the ‘ Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 7 J. 
The only other Australasian species hitherto known is P. novae - 
zealandios , Hutton, from New Zealand. Mr. Hogg’s specimens 
differ in important particulars from both these species. The 
most important difference is in the number of pairs of legs, P. 
Leuckartii and P. novce-zealandice having each constantly 15 pairs, 
while the new species has only 14. The new species differs from 
P. Leuckartii — to which it might be expected to be most nearly 
related — also in the structure of the jaws and in the pattern of the 
skin. The distinctness of the new species may be expressed by 
the statement that it differs more from either of the two previously 
known Australasian species than these do from one another. 
On the present occasion I shall describe only the external 
characters, but I hope in due course to be able to give a complete 
anatomical account of both the Australian species. 
Peeipatijs insignis §, sp. nov. 
Colour and Markings . — (a) Dorsal Surface . — The general 
appearance to the naked eye is dark, sometimes almost black, 
speckled with pale orange or yellow. Microscopical examination 
by reflected light shows that the skin is, as usual in the genus, 
* Reprinted from the 6 Victorian Naturalist/ April 1890. 
t “ Zoological Notes on a Trip to Walhalla,” 4 Victorian Naturalist/ 
December 1889. 
\ i( Observations on the Australian Species of Peripatus part 1, Pro- 
ceedings Royal Society of Victoria, July 1889. 
§ Insignis , distinguished by a mark. 
Ann. & Mag . N. Hist . Ser. 6. Vol. vi. 
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