Stuckey. — A Review of the New Zealand Actiniaria. 



383 



Pedal-disc. — The ectoderm is thin and folded, with straight mesogloeal 

 processes. It is covered by a thin cuticle, which is also found on the column, 

 but becomes less distinct as it ascends. The mesogloea is thin, and contains 

 lacunar The most prominent feature is the endoderm, which is thick and 

 regular, the cells being straight and fine. 



Column. — The colour is, in general, deep brow^n, but there is some varia- 

 . tion. I have collected some specimens that were greenish, some blue, and 

 some yellow. The whole animal is iridescent. Preserved specimens become 

 light brown. The ectoderm resembles that of the pedal-disc, though slightly 

 thicker, and without the mesogloeal processes. Exceedingly slight ecto- 

 dermal elevations or papillte appear in cross-sections. No cinclides are 

 present. The mesogloea is fibrous. 



Tentacles. — These are short and fine, and placed at the edge of the disc 

 in three or four crowded cycles. The mesogloea is distinctive. Though thin, 

 it contains numerous spaces, each with a darkly staining particle. The pro- 

 cesses that bear the ectodermal muscles branch and slightly anastomose. 

 The muscle-fibres themselves show very distinctly on these processes. There 

 is a very noticeable fibrous layer below the epithelial layer, which is itself 

 covered with a cuticle like that of the pedal-disc and column. 



Oral Disc. — The colour is generally iridescent green, but it is ver}* variable. 

 The moutli is pink or magenta, and there are radial markings. The structure 

 •of the disc resembles that of the tentacles, but the musculature is weaker. 



Sphincter Muscle. — This is mesogloeal in character. There is a club- 

 shaped swelling of the mesogloea in the upper part of the wall, tapering 

 gradually at the lower end, and coming almost to a point suddenly at the 

 upper end (Plate XXI, fig. 2). 



Mesenteries. — There are 24 pairs, every second pair being perfect. Two 

 pairs are directives. 



Gonads. — I saw no reproductive organs in my cross-sections, but ova 

 appeared on a mesentery in a longitudinal section. They were close up to 



the sphincter. I was unable to 





determine to what cycle the 

 mesentery belonged. Presum- 

 ably the young of this species 

 are retained in the body till 

 fully formed, for I found one 

 specimen which had twelve 

 young ones attached to the out- 

 side of the body-wall in a regular 

 transverse circle about one-third 

 of the height of the wall from 

 the foot. This is shown in fig. 6 

 of the text, and in Plate XXI, 

 fig. 1. If the young are not re- 

 tained till they are considerably 

 advanced, it is difficult to see 

 how they can become attached in this manner unless there are external 

 Ijrood -pouches. I have seen no evidence in support of the latter view. 



Acontia. — These are emitted from the mouth readily, but not in great 

 iuimbers. 



Dimensioyis. — Height, 12 mm. ; breadth, about the same. 

 Distribution of the Species. — Island Bay, Ohiro Bay. 



Fig. 6. 



