PREVIOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF CNIDARIA 175 



When we now pass to the discussion which has taken place 

 within the field of the comparative morphology about the intes- 

 tinal tube itself, we have first to state that according to the old, 

 and now prevalent, interpretation there can be no homology 

 between the intestinal diverticula of Turbellaria and the sarco- 

 septa of Anthozoa and Scyphozoa. The intestinal tube of hydro - 

 polyps has a smooth cylindrical form. A new complication, 

 i.e. four simple sarcosepta or longitudinal folds of the intes- 

 tine, does not develop earlier than in scyphopolyps (these are 

 usually considered as larvae or young forms of Scyphomedusae). 

 According to Goette, these four sarcosepta have been deve- 

 loped in such a way that there first appeared two intestinal 

 pouches situated one against the other w^hich were follow^ed 

 by another transverse pair; four taeniolae which disappear 

 downwards were developed between these pouches. In the 

 higher level, i.e. Anthozoa, sarcosepta with a complex 

 structure are formed by way of polymerization with a simul- 

 taneous formation of a gullet tube. These sarcosepta are 

 usually depicted, quite statically, under the influence of what 

 we see when we make a transverse section through the body 

 of an anthopolyp, as septa which extend longitudinally into 

 the gastral space. W. Kiikenthal, an expert in anthopolyps, 

 does not mention, surprisingly enough, "mesenteries" in his 

 general characterization of Anthozoa which was published in 

 the extensive Handhuch der Zoologie (1924:688) in the addi- 

 tional characterization, however, he reports as follows, "Der 

 Gastralraum des Korallenpolypen wird durch Langscheide- 

 wande, die vom Maueblatt nach innen vorspringen, in eine 

 Anzahl peripharer Kammern und einen gemeinsamen zent- 

 ralen Teil zerlegt." In the same work the following definition 

 of sarcosepta has been made by F. Pax (1924:783), "Die Mesen- 

 terien (Sarcosepten) sind bindegewebliche, an ihrer Aussenseite 

 hauptsachlich mit Entoderm bekleidete Stiitzlamellen, die von 

 der Korperwand gegen den Gastralraum radiar vorspringen." 

 The supporting lamellae are, according to this definition, the 

 most important part of sarcosepta. The characterization of 



