NARCOMEDUS/E — SOLMISSUS, CUNISSA. 



4S5 



long as bell-diameter. As many as 15 sensory-clubs per lappet in large specimens, 7 to 10 in 

 medium sized medusae. The sensory-clubs resemble those ot S. albescens. The stomach- 

 pouches are rectangular and slightly longer than wide. No peronial canals. Female gonads 

 confined to the subumbrella margins of the gastric pouches in the ectoderm of the thin stomach 

 wall. The eggs are very large. The male gonads are developed more evenly over the surface 

 of the gastric pouches. Colorless or with slightly yellowish entoderm. Found in tropical 

 Pacific on the surface by Bigelow. Vanhoffen describes this medusa under the name Salmans 

 flavescens from the Valdivia collections made off the tropical Atlantic coast of Africa and in 

 the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. 



It is distinguished from S. albescens of the Mediterranean by its smooth exumbrella, 

 rectangular stomach-pouches and large number of sensory-clubs. 



Vanhoffen's " Solmaris rhodoloma" appears to be a form of Solmissus but his specimens 

 were imperfect (see 1908, Narcomedusen der Valdivia Expedition, p. 60, taf. I, fig. 5). 



Genus CUNISSA Haeckel, 1879, sens. ampl. 



Cunissa + Mginodorus, Haeckei, 1879, Syst. der Medusen, pp. 322, 344. 

 Cunissa, Maas, 1906, Fauna Arctica, Bd. 4, Lfg. 3, p. 497. 



The type species is Cunissa polyporpa Haeckel, from the Indian Ocean. 



GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



iEginidae with 9 or more peronial strands and an equal number of tentacles. The 

 primary peripheral stomach-pouches are equal in number to the tentacles, but are cleft by the 

 insertions of the tentacles so as to appear to be twice as numerous as the latter. 



Haeckel states that Cunissa is closely related to Cunina, bur in Cunina the peripheral 

 stomach-pouches are not cleft by the insertions of the tentacles, and it would seem that Cunissa 

 is analogous to ALgina and Mgineta, where we find such cleft pouches. 



Mginodorus Haeckel is only a special case of Cunissa wherein there are 16 tentacles. 

 Haeckel places Forbes's Polyxcnia alderi in the genus Mginodorus. This was described by 

 Forbes from an erroneous figure by Alder. It may be a Pelagia, but is so vaguely determined 

 that it seems best to omit it from further consideration. 



Mginorhodus Haeckel is even more vaguely described and Haeckel himself admits 

 {Challenger Report Deep-sea Medusae, 1 88 1, p. 1) that his specimen is too imperfect for 

 description. 



Synopsis of Species of Cunissa. 



