PART I. 



SCYPHOMEDUS^E OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES. 



Through the kindness of Dr. Hugh M. Smith, then Deputy Commis- 

 sioner, now Commissioner, of Fisheries of the United States, the author 

 was permitted to describe and figure some of the Albatross-Philippine 

 scyphomedusse in volume III of "Medusae of the World," published by 

 the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1910. These are referred 

 to, but are not here redescribed, unless some new facts have come to 

 light since the date of the original description. 



Genus CARYBDEA Peron and Lesueur, 1809. 



Carybdea, PERON ET LESUEUR, 1809, Ann. Mua. Hist. Nat., Paris, tome 14, p. 332. MATER, 

 1910, Medusae of the World, vol. 3, p. 506. 



GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



Carybdeidse with 4 simple, interradial tentacles and pedalia. Velarium 

 supported by 4 bracket-like frenulse. Velar canals present. Stomach small 

 and 4-sided. 



Carybdea rastonii Haacke. 



Carybdea raatonii, HAACKE, 1887, Jena. Zeitsch. fur Naturwissen. Bd. 20, p. 591, Taf. 35, Fign. 

 1-15. MATER, 1910, Medusae of the World, vol. 3, p. 508. 



There are two specimens of this medusa in the Albatross collection from the 

 Philippines. They are apparently mature and their dimensions in millimeters 

 are as follows : 



This is the commonest Cubomedusa of the tropical Pacific, being widely 

 distributed from South Australia to the Hawaiian Islands. It can be recog- 

 nized by its prismatic, 4-sided bell, the pedalia being about one-fourth to one- 

 third as long as the bell-height, flat and spatula-shaped and about three-fifths 

 as wide as long. The sense-clubs have each 2 large median eyes and 4 small 

 lateral ocelli. There are 4 short, branched, non-anastomosing velar canals 

 in each quadrant of the velarium, 16 in all. Four very small branched tufts of 

 gastric cirri. This medusa is very closely allied to Carybdea marsupialis of the 

 Mediterranean, but is distinguished by having only 16 instead of 24 to 30 

 velar canals, and by its somewhat more slender pedalia. In both forms the 



170 



