28 transactions, natural history society of glasgow. 



Distribution. 



Gonactinia prolifera was discovered in 1835 by M. Sars (1), 

 in the neighbourhood of Bergen. He named it at that time 

 Actinia prolifera. In 1851 he recorded it from Tromsoe and 

 Hammerfest (2), and founded the genus Gonactinia for it. Two 

 further Norwegian records were made by Koren (3), and by 

 Blochmann and Hilger (4). Then, in 1891, it was recorded from 

 the Mediterranean by Prouho (5), and finally, in 1896, from 

 Falmouth by Vallentin (6). Mr. S. Pace informs me that it 

 probably occurs at Plymouth, but that there are no definite 

 records of its discovery there. According to Delage and 

 Herouard (7), Gonactinia is found at Noumea, on dead coral, 

 but I have not been able to trace this record. 



The exact localities are as follows : — 



Norway. — (a) Bergensfiord, Giesvaer, and Floroe. Not un- 

 common on weed, Sertularians, and Ascidians. (Sars, 1.) 



(b) Tromsoe. 10-20 fms., among nullipores. Hammerfest, 

 10-20 fms., very common on Delesseria. (Sars, 2.) 



(c) Neighbourhood of Bergen, 10-30 fms., along with 

 Edwardsia tuberculata. (Koren, 3.) 



(d) Island of Fladholmen, near Bergen, 2-3 fms., common on 

 shells, dead or living, of Modiolaria, in company with Euden- 

 drium capillar e Alder. (Blochmann u. Hilger, 4.) 



Mediterranean. — Coasts of Roussillon, 43 fms. (Prouho, 5.) 



Britain. — Falmouth. (Vallentin, 6.) 



To these I have now to add my Cumbrae record. Gonactinia 

 prolifera was found at Castle Bay, Little Cumbrae, in a depth 

 of 15-20 fms., attached to the tubes of the worm Chaetopterus 

 insignis. 



Looking at these records we see that Gonactinia is to be 

 found in all depths from two to about forty fathoms. Also it 

 seems to occur on all sorts of surfaces — on weeds, nullipores, 

 Sertularians, Ascidians, shells of Modiolaria, tubes of Chaetop- 

 terus. There are mentioned as occasionally associated with 

 Gonactinia, the anemone Edwardsia tuberculata^ and the 

 hydroid Eudendrium capillare ; but these associations are 

 evidently merely accidental. Blochmann and Hilger (4) obtained 

 ripe individuals in the middle of October. 



