99 



der karakteriseres saaledes: „Oolumn long, slender, cylindri- 

 cal, or swollen at the inferior extremity, which appears 

 to be imperforate; no distinct margin. Surface vvithout 

 loopholes, but studded with minute suckers. Disk flat. 

 Radii distinct. Tentacles of one kind. few (less than 

 twenty), marginal or submarginal, cylindrical, obtuse, per- 

 fectly retractile. Mouth simple. No obvious gonidial develop- 

 ment" '. Nogen anatomisk Undersøgelse har Gosse ikke 

 anstillet, saavidt det kan erfares; men han henfører Slægten 

 til Familien Ilyanthidæ, hvilket ogsaa Richard Eertwig 

 gjør. der paa det Exemplar, han beskriver under Navn af 

 Halcampa clavus, - har foretaget baade anatomiske og 

 histologiske Dndersøgelser. Han har paavist, at Halcampa 

 hører til Hexactiniernes sture Gruppe, idet den har 6 Par 

 fuldstændige Septa og saaledes væsentlig adskiller sig fra 

 Edwardsierne, der af tidligere Forfattere have været hen- 

 førte til Familien Ilyanthidæ. 



Men det tor vel være et Spørgsmaal, hvorvidt Hert- 

 wig'* Haleampa virkelig kan henføres til Gosse's; thi alle- 

 rede i det Ydre frembyder Halcampa clavus mærkelige 

 Afvigclser fra den typiske Slægt: saaledes den Kreds af 

 Huller, dei' tindes paa den bagerste Del. samt Mangel paa 

 et cuticulært Overtræk, og det kan hænde, at ved en anato- 

 misk Dndersøgelse af Gosse's Slægt endnu flere og væsent- 

 ligere Afvigelser ville kunne findes. Hertwig gjør opmærk- 

 som paa en Særegenhed, han fandt hos Halcampa clavus. 

 den nemlig, at af de 12 Septa var 4 mindre end de 8, 

 noget han mener har Betydning i morphologisk Henseende, 

 da det tyder hen paa. at Halcampa nærmer sig stærkt 

 Slægten Edwardsia og danner muligens et Led imellem 

 denne og Hexactinierne. Denne Særegenhed ved Septa 

 omtaler ogsaa Strethill Wright i sin Beskrivelse over en 

 parasitær Halcampa. der lever paa Meduser og er kaklet 

 Halcampa Pultoni 3 . Han kalder de 4 mindre Septa inter- 

 mediære Septa; men her kan atter reises det Spørgsmaal, 

 om Wrighfs Form virkelig er en Haleampa; thi den er 

 unegtelig i flere Henseender forskjellig baade fra Gosse's 

 og Hertwig's. Halcampa Fultoni mangler cuticulært Over- 

 træk, har en tydelig Aabning i den bagerste Ende. er for- 

 synet med Acontier (Thread-cells of the septa] bands) og 

 bar endelig en ganske særegen Øsophagus. 



Det forekommer mig, at Halcampa Fultoni nærmer 

 sig meget niere den af mig beskrevne Halcampoides abys- 

 sorum. og det tor hænde, at den ved nærmere Undersogel- 

 ser bliver at henføre til denne ny opstillede Slægt. Som 

 det fremgaar af min Beskrivelse, har Halcampoides abys- 

 sorum ikke Wrighfs intermediære ;Septa eller Hertwig's 

 4 mindre Septa; dens 6 Pai' Septa have samme Størrelse, 

 i ig kun Retningssepta adskille sig fra de øvrige væsentlig 

 ved Muskelanordningen. Halcam])oides abyssorum har lige- 

 som Halcampa Fultoni en tydelig Aabning i den bagerste 



1 The British Sea-Anemones and Corals. Ph. H. (iosse. 

 London tsiiii, pag. 246. 



2 1. c. Pag. 92. 



3 Ann. & Magazine of Xat. Historj Vol. VIII. Third Ser. 

 1861, pag. 1)3. Halcampa Fultoni by Dr. Strethill Wright. 



Gosse. which is tims characterized ..Column long. slender. 

 cylindrical, or swollen at the inferior extremity, which 

 appears to be imperforate; no distinct margin. Surface 

 without loopholes. but studded with minute suckers. Disk 

 flat. Radii distinct. Tentacles of one kind, few (less than 

 twenty i, marginal or submarginal. cylindrical, obtuse, per- 

 fectly retractile. Mouth simple. No obvious gonidial 

 development" K Gosse does not appear to have made anv 

 anatnmical investigation, but he relegates the genas tu the 

 family Hyanthidæ, which Richard Hertwig also does. who, 

 with the specimen he describes under the name of Hal- 

 campa clavus 2 , has made both an anatomical and histo- 

 logical investigation. He has shown that Halcampa belongs 

 to the large group of Hexactinidæ. as it lias ti pairs of 

 perfect septa. and thus materially distinguishes itself from 

 the Edwardsiæ. which have. by previous writers. been as- 

 signed tu the family Ilyanthidæ. 



But there may, perhaps. be a question whether Hert- 

 wig^ Haleampa eau really be assigned to Gosse's. as. al- 

 ready in its exterior, Halcampa clavus presents remarkable 

 divergencies from the generic type; for instance, the group 

 of loopholes that are observed on its posterior part. and 

 the absence of cuticular covering; and. it may be. that 

 upon anatomical investigation of Gosse's genus, still further 

 and more material divergencies will be found. Hertwig 

 dra ws attention to a peculiarity he found in Halcampa 

 clavus. viz. that of the 12 septa four were smaller than 

 the other eight, a feature that he thinks to be of importance 

 in morphological respects. as it indicates that Halcampa 

 approaches greatly to the genus Edwardsia. and possibly 

 forms a link between it and Hexactinidæ. This peculiarity 

 in the septa is also mentioned by Strethill Wright, in his 

 description of a parasitic Halcampa that exists upon Medusa', 

 designated Halcampa Fultoni 3 . He calls the 4 small 

 septa intermediary septa. but here, again, the question may 

 be raised. whether Wrighfs form is really a Halcampa. 

 as it differs, undeniably, in several respects, both from 

 Gosse's and Hertwig's. Halcampa Fultoni has no cuticular 

 covering. has a distinct aperture in the posterior extremity. 

 is furnished with acontia (thread-cells of the septal bands), 

 and, finally, has quite a peculiar æsophagus. 



It appears to me that Halcampa Fultoni approaches 

 somewhat nearer to Halcampoides abyssorum, described by 

 me", and it may happen that. on closer investigation, it will 

 have to be assigned to that newly established genus. As 

 appears from my description, Halcampa abyssorum has not 

 Wrighfs intermediary septa. nor Hertwig's 4 small septa; 

 its 6 pairs of septa are uniform in size, and the directive 

 septa alone distinguish themselves materially from the 

 others, principally in their muscular arrangement. Hal- 

 campoides abyssorum has, like Halcampa Fultoni, a distinct 



1 The British Sea-Anemones and Corals. Ph. H. Gosse, 

 L,.i, .hm. 1866. Pag. 246. 



2 1. c. Pag. 92. 



3 Ann. & Magazine of Xat. History. Vol. VIII. Third Ser. 

 1861, pag. 13:;. Haleampa Fultoni l,y Dr. Strethill Wright. 



13 



