On the Reproductive Organs in the Genus Eudrilus , E.P

Among the many interesting genera of earthworms described by M. Perrier, the most interesting and remarkable in many ways is Eudrilus . This genus is unique among earthworms, by reason of the peculiar structure of its generative organs. In all earthworms at present known, with this exception, the ovaries are situated in a distinct segment of their own, into which opens the funnel of the oviduct, which is quite independent of the ovary; the oviducts generally pass through the mesentery which bounds posteriorly the segment (usually the 13th) containing the ovaries, and open on to the exterior of the body in the ventral surface of the following segment.