DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES 131 



a single haul. They range from 06 to 3-6 cm. in greatest diameter. The body is ovoid and upright, 

 generally somewhat broader at the base, and narrower at the upper end where the siphons form two 

 low conical papillae. But in some specimens the base is narrowed. The colour is pale grey and the 

 surface smooth and quite soft, being free of encrusting matter, except for some at the base of the body. 

 The animals had evidently been lying free or slightly embedded in soft bottom material. A number of 

 animals were joined together by fusion of the test of the lower part of the body. 

 Test. The test is thin and flexible, but quite tough, and is almost transparent. 



/.Ocm 



t ov 



Text-fig. 56. Molgula platei Hartmeyer (St. WS 742): A, specimen removed from test; B, dorsal tubercle, 



with ganglion and neural gland ; C, gonad. 



Body wall. The body wall is also thin. Narrow but quite conspicuous longitudinal muscles pass 

 from the siphons to about half way across the body. Circular and irregular oblique muscles are not 

 very conspicuous or numerous on the body itself, but circular muscles are well developed round the 

 siphons. 



Tentacles. Thirteen or fourteen much branched tentacles alternate in size. Hartmeyer (1914) noted 

 thirty-two tentacles of three sizes. The larger tentacles have four orders of branching. 



Dorsal tubercle. The opening of the dorsal tubercle is C-shaped with the open interval turned 

 backwards or back to the left (Text-fig. 56 B). 



17-2 



