Descriptions of Earthworms

Among the specimens of Ac. Büttikoferi from Liberia, described in my foregoing paper ¹), I found a number of smaller Acanthodrilidae, which at first I believed to be young individuals of the same species. However examining them more accurately, I recognized that they present some characters, which hitherto are not observed in any other species of the genus Acanthodrilus, and I have no doubt, that they belong to a new species. In honour of the Naturalist, who had done so much to increase our knowledge of the tropical Earthworms, I will name it Ac. Beddardi. The length of the largest individual is about 160 m.m. The cephalic lobe is rather long, compared to that of Ac. Büttikoferi and the setae are more projecting than in this species. The setae are arranged in four pairs, upon a whitecolored ridge in the middle of each segment; in the anterior segments they are situated on the ventral side of the hody, however in the posterior segments the dorsal pair of them is placed more laterally. The clitellum is very distinct, extending from segment (13) 14 to (19) 20; it shows at the ventral side a deep, rectangular groove over its total length. The male generative apertures are situated in this depressed area, upon two pairs of papillae, in the 17th and 19th ring. The copulatory pouches open between the 7th and 8th, the 8th and 9th segment, in front of the ventral pairs of setae; in the vicinity of the openings there is a glandular, not well-defined area upon the ventral side of segment 7, 8 and 9.