Horváth Géza (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 7. (Budapest 1909)

Soós, L.: Anatomy and systematic position of Campylaea coerulans

42 V L. SOÓS The construction of the spermatheca duct is very interesting. Its chief characteristic is that the diverticulum is many times thicker than the spermatheca duct itself, furthermore it is very long and many times curved. The under part of the duct under the ramification is as large as the diverticulum, and since the latter is the direct continuation of the under part of spermatheca duct, therefore the upper part of the spermatheca duct appears to be the appendix. The researches of A. SCHMIDT and SCHUBERTH have shown that many species of Campylaeae have in this respect the same characteristics, and particularly is the construction of the spermatheca duct and of the diverticulum of C. confasa similar to those of C. coerulans, but no one species is known which has a spermatheca duct and diverticum so conspicuously different in size as in the ease of C. coerulans. The spermatheca duct does not open immediatly into the oviduct, but the two ducts lead into one common cavity, which is also visible from the outside since its wall is more or less inflated, and gradually merges into the wall of the vagina. Another peculiarity of the spermatheca duct is that its end close to the opening is inflated and sacklike (fig. 2, k\ which sack is to be found between the spermatheca duct and the oviduct, it is never absent, and is always well developed. This sack is a characteristic of the reproductive system of C. coerulans, and does not occur in the other species of the Campylaeae, at least it is not mentioned in the literature on this subject, and as far as I know is not shown in any figures either. What its function can be is not shown from its structure. I mention only for the purpose of showing the character of the genitalia that the penis is sharply defined from the epiphallus, further the flagellum is very short as also is the penis retractor muscle which letter is generally cospicuously long in the Campylaeae. It is quite clear from what has been said above that ('.. coerulans in respect of his reproductive system should be placed among the Campylaeae, because its organs differ from those of the typical Campylaeae only in a slight degree. We get, however, quite a different result if we look also at the construction of its gnawing apparatus. A slug which has sicklelike teeth and a smooth (oxygnath) jaw composed of two plates, can not be regarded as a representative of the genus Campylaea. In these two systematically very important characteristics C. coerulans differs not only from the Campylaeae but also from all the If elicit I ae, except the Allognalhus Grateloupi mentioned above. It differs from A. Grateloupi again in the characteristics of its reproductive system. Though the reproductive system of A. Grateloupi is