i6 



HYDROIDA 



Hartlaub (1907) informs us that in his aquaria he has observed a Syncoryne, whose gono- 

 phores are not set free, though being full-grown medusae with four tentacles well developed; the 

 generative products are developed in the sessile medusa, which is reduced after having performed her 

 generative task. Hartlaub refers this form to Coryne (Syncoryne) Loveni M. Sars. This identifica- 

 tion however, cannot be right; most likely we have here rather in hand individuals of the Coryne 

 Sursii during the part of the generative period when the medusae are not detached. Through Mr. 

 C. Dons, conservator at Tromso, I received a very copious material of Coryne Loveni from Bjarkoi, 

 where the species occurs in abundance on the Fucoidea in the tidal water region. The large number 

 of individuals examined have most frequently two, more rarely three gonophores, which are developed 

 into a complete medusa without any tentacles. The four radial canals end in a small enlargement, 

 which is the only indication of tentacles traceable. The species, accordingly, cannot be identical with 

 the form recorded by Hartlaub, but agrees very well with the description and the illustration given 

 by Loven. 



Coryne Loveni is earlier known only from the west coast of Scandinavia 1 . Jaderholm (1909, 

 taf. 1, fig. 7) gives an excellent drawing of the species collected from Bohuslau; elsewhere it is recorded 

 from the coast of Norway from Bergen as far as Lofoten, where its occurrence in the northern part 

 of its habitat is most numerous. Some colonies from Godthaab show us that Coryne Loveni must 

 also be added to the fauna of Greenland. The species is native to the boreal tidal water zone and 

 attains to its most luxuriant development in the passage to the regions of the Artie Ocean. 



Coryne pusilla Gartner. 

 1774 Coryne pusilla, Gartner, in Pallas: Spicilegia zoologica vol. 1, fasc. 10, pag. 40; pi. 4, fig. 8. 

 1893 Syncoryne mirabilis L,evinsen, Meduser, Ctenophorer og Hydroider fra Groulands Vestkyst, p. 150. 

 1902 Coryne vermicular is, C.fruticosa, Syncoryne exi/nia, Saemundsson, Bidrag til Kundskabeu om de 



islandske Hydroider, p. 50. 



"The colonies are coarsely constructed, attaining a height of up to 40 mm. The hydrocaulus 

 is wholly irregularly branched, showing no distinct main stem; the irregularly curved branches are 

 everywhere densely wrinkled and form almost right angles with the hydrocaulus or with the 

 mother branch. The strongly contractile polyp, when extended, attains to a length of 2.5 mm., and 

 is then slender and narrowly fusiform or almost wholly cylindrical; when contracted, it is oviform or 

 oval. The numerous capitate tentacles are irregularly distributed over the polyp. 



The gonophores are globose, showing a styloid structure. There occur 4—8 gonophores, irregu- 

 larly distributed over the proximal (basal) half of the polyp". 



Material: 



The Faroe Islands. 



Iceland : Grindavik. On littoral algae (labelled Coryne pusilla and C.fruticosa). 



Reykjavik. On littoral algae (labelled Syncoryne eximia and Coryne vermicular is). 

 Greenland (labelled Syncoryne mirabilis). 



1 Dr. P. L. Kramp kindly informs me, that Coryne Loveni is abundant in the LitUe Belt. 



