278 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



Genus 61. Anthophysa? Mertens, 1829. 

 Anthophysa, Mertens, MS. (Russian Acad.) ; Brandt, Prodromus, &c, 1835, 25, p. 35. 



Definition. — Anthophysidse with simple bracts, without nectosac. Cnidonodes of 

 the tentacles involucrate, trifid, with a median terminal vesicle and two lateral horns ; 

 besides a part of the cnidonodes larger, with two dorsal dendritic apophyses. 



The genus Anthophysa was established by Mertens in 1829 for a large and very 

 interesting Anthophysid, which he observed living (May 12, 1828) in the Northern 

 Pacific, north of the Bonin Islands (lat. 36° 30' N., long. 214° 0' W.). Brandt afterwards 

 (in 1835) gave a short description of it (25, p. 35), and founded upon this genus and the 

 closely allied Athorybia of Eschscholtz the family Anthophysidae. The excellent figures 

 of it executed by Mertens were never published, but I have examined them and compared 

 them with his manuscript. According to this, the vesicular truncus is pyriform and 

 rather large, similar to a small Alophota or a young Physalia, about two inches in 

 diameter (30 mm. long and 20 mm. high). The purple pneumatophore is surrounded by 

 a corona of numerous sickle-shaped bracts ; and beyond these twelve siphons are visible, 

 each provided with a long articulate tentacle. 



The structure of the tentacles in this Anthophysa rosea (Mertens) seems to be similar 

 to that of a North Atlantic species which Fewkes described in 1882 under the name 

 Athorybia formosa. 2 This beautiful species differs from the true Athorybia in the 

 possession of two kinds of cnidosacs on the tentacles, one of which is similar to that of 

 the latter, the other distinguished by the addition of two dorsal dendritic apophyses. 3 



A third species of Anthophysa, which seems to be closely allied to the two preceding, 

 was found by me in a bottle in the Challenger collection (from Station 334, South 

 Atlantic), and although the only specimen was incomplete and not very well preserved, 

 I will give its description in the following paragraphs. 



Anthophysa darioinii, n. sp. (PI. XII. figs. 7-9). 



Habitat— Southern Atlantic; Station 334, March 14, 1876; lat. 35° 45' S., long. 

 18° 31'W.; surface. 



Corm (PI. XII. fig. 7, dorsal view ; fig. 8, lateral view from left side ; fig. 9, ventral 

 view). — The complete body of the corm in the spirit specimen which I examined and 

 figured was well preserved, although strongly contracted by the influence of the alcohol. 

 All the parts of the single organs were present, with the exception of the bracts, the 

 majority of which were detached, a few only remaining (fig. 9, b). The entire corm had 



1 Anthophysa = Flower-shaped bladder, avOo;, tpvua. 



"- Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool, vol. ix. No. 7, p. 271, pi. v. figs. 3, 4 ; pi. vi. figs. 7-1-1. 



3 Loc. cit., pi. vi. figs. 7, 8. 



