Stuckey. — A Review of the New Zealand Actiniaria. 



395 



and taper to a fine point. In colour tliey are olive-brown, with from 2 to 

 6 white spots on the inner side. They are completely retractile, and very 

 sensitive. The nerve-layer is distinct, and the ectodermal muscles are 

 strong. The endomermal muscles are weak. The lumen is tilled with 

 zooxanthellfe. 



Oral Disc. — Flat ; peristome raised. Colour olive-brown. Stomodteum 

 white, often everted. The histological features resemble those of the 

 tentacles. 



Sphincter Muscle.- — Endodermal. Closely resembles that of B. aureo- 

 radiata. 



Mesenteries. — Closely resemble those of B. aureoradiata. 



Gonads. — I saw none in my preparations. 



Dimensions. — My largest specimens were 15 mm. high, and about the 

 same in diameter, but I am told they grow much larger. 



Distribution. — Of the genus — -As above. Of the species — Dunedin, 

 Wellington. 



Genus Leiotealia (Hertwig). 



20. Leiotealia thompsoni (nom. nov.), Coughtrey. 



This species is described in this volume in a separate paper. 



Distribution. — Of the genus — Magellan Strait, Chili, Kerguelen Island, 

 Arctic Ocean (Delage and Herouard) ; also New Zealand. Of the species — 

 Dunedin (Coughtrey) ; Cook Strait, from Plimmerton to Seatoun. 



Fam. ALICIIDiE. 



" Hexactinice with large, flat, contractile base. Tentacles simple, sub- 

 ulate, entacmseous. Column with simple or compound hollow outgrowths 

 or vesicles over more or less of its surface, arranged mostly in vertical rows. 

 No cinclides. Sphincter muscle endodermal and diffuse, variable in amount 

 of development. Perfect mesenteries few or numerous. No acontia." 

 (Duerden.) 



Up to the present time this family contains four genera — Alicia, 

 Cijstiactis, Bunodeopsis, and Thaumactis. I have several specimens of a 

 form taken at Island Bay and one specimen taken at Stewart Island. Both 

 these forms certainly belong to the Aliciidce, but do not seem to be referable 

 to any one of the hitherto recognised genera. They differ from Alicia 

 in their larger number of perfect mesenteries ; from Cijstiactis in the large 

 number of short tentacles ; from Bunodeopsis in the disposal of the 

 phlyctenia over the whole of the column ; from Thaumactis in the lenticular 

 form, and absence of a pedal-disc in the latter genus. For these reasons I 

 propose for these two species a new genus, Phlyctenactis. The differences 

 between this genus and the other four are shown by the following table : — 



