116 BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF PHYLOGENY 



The results from Needham et al.'s experiments are often 

 summarised as in the table on page 112, but I should like to present 

 them here in slightly more detail. (See also the table on p. 117.) 



(a) Coelenterates 



In Anthea rustica 5-07 g of tentacles gave 0-053 mg of total 

 phosphate of which 0-04 mg was due to inorganic phosphate. 

 An experiment on 1-05 g of body wall gave a total phosphate of 

 0-032 mg and an inorganic level of 0-032 mg. A further experi- 

 ment on 2-71 g of tentacle from Anthea cereus gave total phosphate 

 of 0-135 mg and an inorganic level of 0-135 mg. The general 

 conclusion from these experiments was that the level of phos- 

 phagens in anemones was too low to be detected. 



In the ctenophore Pleurobrachia pileus, 33-67 g of total body 

 gave a total phosphate of 0-12 mg whilst the inorganic phosphate 

 came to 0-069 mg. This gave 42% organic phosphate which could 

 be due to phosphagen. 



(b) Platyhelminthes 



0-4 g of Planaria vitta gave 0-056 mg of total phosphate of 

 which 0-042 mg was due to inorganic phosphate. This gave a 

 value of 24% AP. 0-54 g of Polycelis nigra had a total phosphate 

 value of 0098 mg and an inorganic phosphate value of 0-084 mg. 

 Hence the value of AP was 14%. 



(c) Nemertines 



2-1 g of the whole body of Lineus longissimus gave a total 

 phosphate of 0-987 mg whilst the inorganic phosphate came to 

 0-47 mg. This gave a value of 52% for AP. A second reading 

 taking 1-45 g of body gave a total phosphate of 0-299 mg and an 

 inorganic phosphate of 0-245 mg. The AP value came to 18%. 



(d) Annelids 



Three annelids were analysed, Nereis, Sabellaria and Spiro- 

 graphs. Two experiments were carried out on Sabellaria aheolata. 

 In one case 1-38 g of whole body were taken which gave a total 

 phosphate of 0-505 mg, 24% of which was due to phosphagen. 

 In the other case 2-45 g of body gave a value of 0-789 mg of 

 total phosphate of which 30% was due to phosphagen. 



