(from Dakin, W . J. 1915. Fauna of West Australia, III . A new nemertean, Geonemertes dendyi, sp. n. Proc. Zool. Soc. London. 1915:567- 570.)
Argonemertes dendyi is apparently much smaller than the East Australian species, for its total length when living and uncontracted was only 15 mm. (proboscis retracted). The greatest breadth occurred at a point about one third of the length from the posterior end. Just in front of this was a slight constriction, as if the animal had been nipped. It its probable that this feature is only some temporary or individual character of the specimen captured, but as no others are to hand for purposes of comparison, it is worth mentioning.
The colour of the living animal is brown-pink, but the shade is not uniform over the entire surface. The lateral parts of the body are more of a light flesh-colour and signs of the large ova were visible, showing through the skin . The under surface is pale. On the dorsal surface, and most prominent on the posterior third of the animal, are two dark stripes of chocolate-brown . They are not sharply defined, and the dissecting-microscope indicated that they are collections of little brown spots. There is just a faint indication of the continuance of the stripes forward over the anterior part of the dorsal surface.
Close to the anterior end of the body, and on the dorsal surface, are the eye-spots. According to Dendy, Argonemertes australiensis differs from other known species of Argonemertes in the possession of a large number of eyes. The New Zealand species has only four eyes, and four or six are the usual numbers. In Dendy's specimens from the eastern states the eyes numbered as many as thirty or forty, and they were arranged in two groups. It is interesting to note that the author describes each group (containing about 20 eyes of various sizes) as sometimes showing indications of a division into an anterior and a posterior group, and he says that "it suggests that the numerous eyes of A. australiensis may have been derived by subdivision of four eyes, two large anterior and two small posterior, such as we find in A. chalicophora and anterior groups and three in each of the posterior, making a total of sixteen.
In Argonemertes dendyi there are four quite distinct groups of eyes-two anterior groups of large eyes, and two posterior groups of smaller eye-spots. There are five or six spots in each of the anterior groups and three in each of the posterior, making a total of sixteen.
(from Dakin, W . J. 1915. Fauna of West Australia, III . A new nemertean, Geonemertes dendyi, sp. n. Proc. Zool. Soc. London. 1915:567- 570.)
The length of the mature female is about 15 mm when crawling. The colour is brown-pink, with two dorsal and some- what posterior darker longitudinal bands of chocolate-brown . The eyes are arranged in four groups-two anterior, each of five or six larger spots, and two posterior groups, each of three smaller eyes, making about sixteen or seventeen altogether. Lateral organs are well developed, opening by characteristic ciliated cephalic pits on the ventral surface at the anterior end. The mouth opens into the rhynchodaeum. The sexes are distinct. Cephalic gland apparently not well developed. Other structures agreeing well with the description of similar parts in A. australiensis. The specimen was found under a small log, together with Peripatus gilesii, in the Darling Hills, Western Australia, not far from Perth.
(from Dakin, W . J. 1915. Fauna of West Australia, III . A new nemertean, Geonemertes dendyi, sp. n. Proc. Zool. Soc. London. 1915:567- 570.)
The specimen was found under a small log in a rather damp situation, about two yards from a small stream, in one of the valleys near Armadale . Under the same log were two specimens of Peripatus gilesii, a slug, and some of the usual small cryptozoic arthropoda. Scutigera was also common in the neighbourhood.
