42 



ning. Kroppen valseformig, indtil 250""" hoi. 200""" i 

 Omkreds ; dens ycire Flade forsynet med Lrengdefolder, 

 paa hvilke regelmæssige Utekker tætstaaende Knuder. 

 Disse ere glatte, stærkt fremtrædende med hvælvet Over- 

 flade, hvori tildels sees en liden Pordybning. Ved Siden 

 af Knuderne iagttages hist og her Sugevorter, som skjules 

 under Kontraktionerne. Kroppens overste Rand har et 

 foldet Udseende. Mundskiven lidt hvælvet og foldet. 

 Munden afiang med tykke, foldede Læber og 2 brede 

 Gonidiegruber. Tentaklerne ikke fuldstrendig retraktile, 

 tykke, konisk tilspidsede, med en tydelig Aabning paa 

 Enderne, staa i 4 Rækker, hvoraf den yderste har omkring 

 Tu. Farven: Kolumnen hvid. perlemorglindsende, spillende 

 lidt i det Rode, lidt i det Blaalige. Tentaklerne havanna- 

 brune. Mundskiven har Kroppens Farve, og fra Munden 

 til Tentaklerne løbe fine, brune Striber. Mundlæberne og 

 Svælget mork kastaniebrune. 



Actinauge iVerrilh nodosa. Fabr. 



Tal). III, Fig. 4. 



Actinia nodosa. Otto Fabricius, Fauna Grønlandica 17 v o. 



Urticina nodosa, Verril]. Americ. Journ. Seien. Vol. VI. is~:i — 1ST4. 



Pag. 413. Pl. VIL Fig. 7. 1883—1885, Pag. 50. Pl. VI, Fig. 6, 



7, 8, s a. 

 Actinauge nodosa (Fabr.) Verrill. Bulletin of the Museum of eom- 



parativ Zoology, Cambridge, Vol. XI, Pag. 50. 



Denne af 0. Fabricius forst beskrevne, meget distinkte 

 Art, som forekommende temmelig hyppig ved Grønlands 

 Vestkyst, er ifølge Verrill overordentlig almindelig som Dyb- 

 vandsform langs de nordamerikanske Kyster lige til Grand 

 Banks. Den varierer adskilligt i Udseende, hvorfor han 

 har opstillet 2 Varieteter, nemlig: Variet. coronata og 

 tuberculosa. Denne sidste er endog efter Verrill saa 

 meget afvigende fra den typiske Form, at han er tilboielig 

 til at anse den for en egen Art. 



Verrill har dannet en ny Slægt for Fabricius's Art, 

 hvilken han har kaldet Actinauge, men som han tidligere 

 havde henfort til Slægten Urticina. Han karakteriserer 

 Slægten saaledes: ..Large actinians, with the tentacles and 

 upper part of the body capable of involution. Integument 

 of body of two kinds ; that of the lower part is finn, thick, 

 and more or less coriaceous or parchment-like, with per- 

 sistent, solid warts or tubereles, usually in vertical rows, 

 and sometimes partially covered with a thin, chitinous 

 epidermal coating; that of the upper part of the body 

 forms a marginal, brighter coloured band, below the ten- 

 tacles, where it is soft and lubricous, secreting mucous 

 abundantly, and rising into longitudinal ridges, crests, or 

 oblong tubereles, which run to and unite with the bases 



an almost round aperture. The body cylindric, measures 

 up to 250""" in height and 200""" in circumference ; its 

 exterior surface furnished with longitudinal folds, upon 

 which are regular series of compactly placed nodules. 

 These are smooth, strongly prominent, with arcuate sur- 

 face in which a small orifice is sometimes observed. 

 At the sides of the nodules suckers are here and there 

 observed. which are concealed during the contractions. 

 The uppermost margin of the body has a folded appear- 

 ance. The oral disc is slightly arcuate and folded. The 

 mouth oblong. with thick folded labiæ and 2 broad gonidial 

 grooves. The tentacles not perfectly retractile, thick, con- 

 ically acuminated. have a distinct orifice at the extremities, 

 and are placed in 4 series, of which the outermost contains 

 about 70 tentacles. The colour. The column white, with 

 a mother-of-pearl bistre, shading a little to red and a 

 little to bluish. The tentacles chestnut-brown. The oral 

 disc has the same colour as the body, and from the mouth 

 to the tentacles fine brown stripes issue. The oral labiæ 

 and æsophagus dark chestnut-brown. 



Actinauge Verrill i nodosa. Fabr. 



Pl. III. fig. 4. 



Actinia nodosa, Otto Fabricius, Fauna Grønlandica 1780. 



Urticina nodosa, Verrill. Americ. Journ. Seien. Vol. VI. 1 8T:> — ls74. 



Pag. 413. Pl. VII. fig. 7. 1883—1885. Pl. VI, fi<:. (i, 7. 8, 



B <t. 

 Actinauge nodosa (Fabr.) Verrill. Bulletin of the Museum of com- 



parative Zoology, Cambridge. Vol. XI. Pag. 50. 



This very distinguished species, first described by 

 0. Fabricius as appearing very abundantly on the west 

 coast of Greenland, is, according to Verrill, exceedingly 

 common as a deep-water form along the North American 

 coast as far as Grand Banks. It varies eonsiderably in 

 appearance, and he has therefore established two varieties 

 viz. Variet. coronata and tuberculosa. The last-named 

 is even, according to Verrill, so distinguished from the 

 typical form. that he is disposed to consider it as a 

 separate species. 



Verrill has formed a new genus for Fabricius's species> 

 which he has designatet! Actinauge, but which, previously, 

 he bad related to the genus Urticina. He characterizes 

 the genus thus : ..Large actinians. with the tentacles and 

 upper part of the body capable of involution. Integument 

 of body of two kinds. that of the lower part is finn. thick 

 and more or less coriaceous, or parchment-like, with per- 

 sistent, solid warts or tubercules. usually in vertical rows, 

 and sometimes partially covered with a thin, chitinous 

 epidermal coating; that of the upper part of the body 

 forms a marginal brighter- coloured band, below r the ten- 

 tacles. where it is soft and lubricous. secreting mucous 

 abundantly. and rising into longitudinal ridges, crests, or 

 oblong tubereles, which run to and unite with the bases 



