24 CTENOPHORES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA 



the animal is 8 mm. in length (fig. 19, plate 5) the oral lappets begin 

 to develop as 2 short flaps, each about one-fifth as long as the animal 

 itself. The 4 auricles appear as short ciliated projections from the sides 

 of the body over the subtentacular canals. The subventral canals form 

 simple loops in the substance of the lappets. The 8 rows of ciliated 

 plates are still of equal length each to each. 



This species is found along the coast of Florida and in the West 

 Indies and probably extends as far north as Charleston, South Carolina. 

 It is also found in the Mediterranean. Upon calm, hot days it approaches 

 the surface in great numbers, but rough weather soon causes it to sink 

 into the depths. They are often common during the summer, floating 

 near the surface in shallow water in the Florida-Bahama region. 



Fig. 6. — Bolinopsis vitrea, 1.25 natural size. Tor- 

 tugas, Flonda, June 21, 19 10. Drawn from 

 life, by the author. 



The pink coloration of this form is very variable, some individuals 

 being translucent and colorless, while others exhibit large, deep-colored 

 masses of pink pigment in their chymiferous tubes, or pink diffused 

 through their gelatinous substance. It is distinguished from the Arctic 

 B. infundibulum by its bltmter aboral apex, its relatively longer oral lobes, 

 the much simpler windings of the meridional ventral vessels in its oral 

 lobes, and its commonly present pink coloration. Its eggs are cast out 

 in great masses during the warm months and the young are common in 

 spring and summer. Altogether, it is the commonest ctenophore of the 

 Bahama-Florida region. 



