476 MEDUS/E OF THE WORLD. 



The species of Cunina are widely distributed throughout all tropical seas, but are espe- 

 cially abundant in the Mediterranean, being rare elsewhere. None are known from polar 

 regions. 



C. campanulata Eschscholtz, of the Atlantic, is probably identical with C. lativentris 

 Gegenbaur, of the Mediterranean, but Eschscholtz's description and figure are so vague that 

 we will probably never be able to determine the identity of the oldest species of the genus. 

 Similarly C. globosa Eschscholtz, of the tropical Pacific, is possibly identical with "jEgineta 

 globosa" Gegenbaur, from the Mediterranean. 



The following table will serve to indicate the distinctions between the described forms 

 of Cunina. I believe that more careful studies will greatly reduce these so-called "species." 



Cunina globosa Eschscholtz. 



Cunina globosa, Eschscholtz, 1829, Syst. der Acalephen, p. 1 17, taf. 9, fign. 7,a-c . — Haeckel, 1879, Syst. der Med u sen, p. 319. — 



Bigelow, H. B., 1909, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. at Harvard College, vol. 37, p. 57, plates 15 and 17. 

 ( ?) Mginela globosa, Gegenbaur, 1856, Zeit. fur wissen. Zool., Bd. 8, p. 263, taf. 10, fig. 8. 



See synoptic table of species of Cunina and text-figures 31 1-312. 



Eschscholtz, 1829, described this form from a specimen found near the Gilbert Islands, 

 tropical Pacific. Aigineta globosa Gegenbaur, of the Mediterranean, is possibly identical with 

 the Pacific form. Bigelow gives a good description of the Pacific medusa. 



Cunina lativentris Gegenbaur. 



Cunina lativentris, Gegenbaur, 1856, Zeit. fiir wissen. Zool., Bd. 8, p. 260, taf. 10, fig. 2. — Hertwig, O. und R., 1879, Nerven- 

 syst.Sinnesorgane Medusen, pp. 15, 30, etc., taf. 1, fign. 1-6; taf. 10, fig. 4 (histology).- -Haeckel, 1879, Syst. der Medusen, 

 p. 320. — Maas, 1904, Result. Camp. Sci. Prince de Monaco, fasc 28, p. 31. 



( ?) Cunia campanulata, Eschscholtz, 1829, Syst. der Acalephen, p. 1 16, taf. 9, fign. 2a-b. 



See synoptic table of species of Cunina and text-figure 315. 



The brothers Hertwig have made a special study of the histology of the sensory-clubs in 

 this species. These clubs arise by a narrow pedicel from the exumbrella side of the velum, 

 along the course of the upper nerve-ring. The club is placed upon a bristle-bearing pad of 

 thickened ectoderm and a tract of this same ectoderm extends upward above the club over the 

 exumbrella. The core of the club is entodermal and is connected with the entoderm of the 

 supporting lamella by a narrow strand. The 2 concretions are secreted by the entoderm of the 

 club. The club projects freely into the water and is not inclosed by the walls of the cushion- 

 like "auditory" pad as in Trachynema. 



C. lativentris is very abundant in the Mediterranean only in the spring months, but is 

 found throughout the year in the Atlantic. It is probably identical with C. campanulata of 

 Eschscholtz, 1829; trle ' atier is> however, so vaguely described that it had best be considered 

 as an obsolete species. 



Cunina proboscidea Metschnikoff. 



Cunina proboscidea, Metschnikoff, E. und L., 1871, Nachr. kaiserlich, Gesell. Freunde Naturwissen. Moskau, tome 8, p. 66, 

 taf. 6, fign. 1-3. — Haeckel, 1879, Syst. der Medusen, p. 652. — Metschnikoff, E., 1S86, Arbeit. Zool. Inst. Wien, Bd. 6, 

 p. 249, taf. 23, fign. 24-26; 1886, Embryol. Studien an Medusen, Wien, pp. 23 (egg), 102 (sporogony and budding), taf. 

 11, fign. 1-38; taf. 12, fign. 1-21. — Chun, 1894, Brown's Thier-Reichs, Bd. 2, Abth. 2, p. 239 (development). — Wol- 

 tereck, 1905, Verhandl. Deutsch. Zool. Gesell., 15 Jahresvers., p. 117 (development). — Stschelkanowzeff, l9o6,Mitth. 

 Zool. Sta. Keapel, Bd. 17, p. 433, taf. 29, 30, fign. 1-43; 1906, Zoolog. Centralblatt, Bd. 13, p. 675. 



(?) Cunina dodecimlobata, Koli.iker, 1853, Zeit. fiir wissen. Zool., Bd. 4, p. 321. 



Cunina vitrea (young medusa), Gegenbaur, 1S56, Zeit. fiir wissen. Zool., Bd. 8, p. 259, taf. 10, fig. 1. 



This common Mediterranean Cunina is distinguished by its long, conical throat-tube 

 which projects beyond the velar opening, and by its very short tentacles. The bell is conical 

 to pyriform, 42 to 57 mm. wide. There are 9 to 14 tentacles only 4 to 5 mm. long. The long, 

 rectangular stomach-pouches are much wider than the interradial clefts between them. I 

 find that sections stained in Delafield's haematoxylin show that the peronial canals and 

 marginal system is degenerate and mainly sealed over. Short lengths of the peronial canals 

 are sometimes found but they are merely disconnected lacunae and end blindly. Each sense- 

 club has 3 concretions and there is an otoporpa over the exumbrella above it. The otoporpa 

 is short, club-shaped, and widest above. Each lappet bears 3 to 4 sensory-clubs. A conical 

 mass of gelatinous substance projects downward into the stomach cavity. The females out- 

 number the males. Metschnikoff (text-figure 316) gives a good figure of this medusa. 



