Stuckey.^ — A Review of the New Zealand Actiniaria. 385 



by the following species : sphyrodeta, pallida, piira — to which will be added 

 most of the species which I defer to the appendix. These have no con- 

 spicuous suckers, discharge acontia less and less abundantly, are in general 

 destitute of positive colour, and have a tendency to a colourless trans- 

 parency. . . . Should a generic name ever be required for this group 

 I propose for it that of T^oe." 



(I have above ascribed the name Thoe to Wright, and it would appear 

 that this is correct, since he described the genus in 1858, while the date 

 of the " Actinologia Britannica " is 1860. It should be noted, however, 

 that that work was published in parts, the publication extending from 

 March, 1858, to January, 1860.) 



Sphyrodeta has a smooth column ; substance pulpy — features which it 

 possesses in common with pallida and pura. Sphyrodeta and pallida each 

 have rings of colour round the bases of the tentacles ; pura has the bases 

 of the tentacles more opaquely white than the rest of the body. 



On Lessnnia at Island Bay occurs a small sagartiad anemone which 

 strikingly exhibits features in common with the species above named. The 

 discovery of this form has induced me to re-establish Wright's genus by 

 accepting Gosse's suggestion. 



The genus would contain the following species : — 



Thoe sphyrodeta (A. Candida, Gosse, 1853 ; S. sphyrodeta, Gosse, 1858 ; 

 A. Candida, Tag well, 1856 ; T. sphyrodeta, Wright, 1858 ; S. sphyrodeta, 

 Gosse, 1860). 



Thoe pura {A. pellucida, Alder, 1857 ; S. pelhicida, Gosse, 1858 ; T. pura, 

 Wright, 1858 ; S. pura, Gosse, 1860). 



Thoe pallida {A. pallida, Holdsworth, 1855, and Milne-Edwards, 1857 ; 

 .S. pallida, Gosse, 1858, 1860). 



Thoe alhens, sp. nov. 



And also, with less certainty, the five species enumerated by Gosse 

 (Act. Brit. p. 354) : ahleri (Cocks), pellucida (Cocks), yarrcllii (Cocks), 

 bellii (Cocks), and hastata (Wright). 



The genus will be defined thus : " Sagartincn without conspicuous suckers ; 

 cinclides absent, or visible only on the discharge of acontia ; body- wall smooth 

 or with inconspicuous suckers ; acontia discharged reluctantly ; generally 

 without positive colour or with only local deposits of pigment ; substance 

 of body pulpy." 



8. Thoe albens (sp. nov.). 



This species in expansion is opaque-white, but is so pulpy that in con- 

 traction it looks Hke a small shapeless mass of transparent jelly. This 

 makes it difficult to kill well, and extremely difficult to riake good histo- 

 logical preparations of the animal. 



Pedal-disc. — Adherent to Lessonia, below low-water mark. The ecto- 

 derm and endoderm are thicker than the mesogloea. The latter shows the 

 fibrous structure characteristic of most actinians. It also contains a num- 

 ber of lacunae. The nerve-layer of the ectoderm is very well developed. 

 The disc spreads out a little beyond the column, the outspread portion 

 being marked with golden-yellow radial lines. 



Column. — Similar in structure to the pedal-disc, but thinner. It has 

 the appearance of having a mesogloeal circular muscle throughout its whole 

 height. It is smooth, with no suckers or verrucse. Neither are there any 

 13— Trans. 



