Descriptions of Earthworms

Some time ago our Museum received from Mr. van Houten a large earthworm, found on his coffee-plantation in Tapanoeli (Sumatra). Though we know gigantic earthworms (of more than 1 M. in length) to exist in several tropical countries: Ceylon Megascolex coeruleus Templ.) 1), Cayenne (Anteus gigas Perr.) 2), Brasil ( Titanus brasiliensis Perr.) 3), Cape Colony (Microchaeta Rappi Bedd.) 4) and Australia 5), I hitherto never heard of their presence in the Malayan Archipelago. Our animal measures 1.50 M. in length; unfortunately it is not very well preserved, but rather soft and extended, so I think it will not be its exact length during its lifetime. The number of segments amounts to 443 and the body attains its greatest thickness in the anterior region, its circumference measuring here about 55 m.m. The wall of the buccal cavity is somewhat extruded, therefore I could not recognize the shape of the cephalic lobe. No clitellum is visible and the pori dorsales seem also to be absent. The setae are arranged in pairs in 4 series; the distance between the dorsal and the ventral pair is half as large as that between the two ventral pairs. The setae (fig. 3) are small, about 1 m.m. long; they are faintly curved, almost straight, with the usual thickening in the middle of their length. Their distal extremity is provided with small undulating lines, perhaps due to the presence of narrow ribs, like in the setae of Criodrilus. At the ventral side of the body there are two couples of fissures, the first of them between the 8th and 9th ring, the second between the 11th and 12th segment, situated in a line with the dorsal pairs of setae; moreover I observed a pair of smaller pores on the 14th segment, in front of the ventral setae.