Materials and Methods 



Five of the six new specimens (Table 1) were 

 collected in Isaacs-Kidd midwater trawls from 

 about 500 m to the surface, aboard the RV 

 Nautilufi of the Southern California Ocean Studies 

 Consortium and the RV Velero IV of the Allan 

 Hancock Foundation, University of Southern 

 California in 1976-77 off the coast of southern 

 California. Collection data are lacking for speci- 

 men number 9. 



Bathochordaeus charon reaches a trunk length 

 of at least 25 mm, yet most previously collected 

 specimens were considerably smaller. Even large 

 animals are difficult to sort from samples until one 

 is trained to recognize the unusual body form 

 (Figures 1, 2). I have found it useful to dilute the 

 entire fresh sample into one or more large (20-50 

 1), glass aquaria and examine it with transmitted 

 light. The mucous house, typical of larvaceans of 

 the family Oikopleuridae (and presumably of 



gigantic proportions in this species), has never 

 been collected intact in a plankton tow. Turbu- 

 lence in the net propably causes its disintegration, 

 as is true of many other mucous structures 

 (Hamner et al. 1975; Silver et al, 1978). The ani- 

 mal itself is virtually transparent and is often of 

 delicate consistency. The large trunk is frequently 

 separated from the tail or is otherwise damaged. 



Results 



Descriptiiin <>t BalhoihoriLitin ihitroii 



The present specimens iTable 1, Figure 1) con- 

 form generally to published accounts of B. charon, 

 detailed descriptions of which were given by Chun 

 (1900), Lohmann (1931), Garstang (1937, as B. 

 stygius ), and Thompson ( 1 948). Final confirmation 

 must await careful morphological study of the new 

 material. 



The conspicuous feature of this species is its 



•} 



B 



Figure 1. — The pelagic tunicate Bathochordaeus charon. A. 

 Preserved specimen, trunk and tail, dorsal view. Tail is short- 

 ened from shnnkage during fixation. B. Preserved specimen, 

 trunk, dorsal view. 



5 mm 



515 



