PREVIOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF CNIDARIA 217 



As early as in Actiniaria which possess no skeleton and 

 which we consider to be the most primitive Cnidaria, lacera- 

 tion appears as well as transverse division, as a form of the 

 asexual reproduction: it takes place close to the margin of the 

 foot disc, thus close to the aboral end of the anthopolyp; it 

 represents an intermediate form between an oblique division 



Fig. 38. The leptomeduse Gastroblasta raffaeli with longitudinal 

 scission; (after Babic). 



and budding. To this we must add the appearance of the for- 

 mation of cormi in Actiniaria (family Corrallimorphidae). So 

 far this has been too little taken into consideration; in its form 

 it is connected with conditions that exist in those solitary spe- 

 cies that have the ability to lacerate. Processes resembling sto- 

 lons are formed with the production of blastozooids; they are 

 the forerunners of the coenenchyme. This was also the way 

 that Anthozoa first began to be attached to the substratum, 

 how they became sessile animals. 



Only the Ceriantharia are, as it seems, all primarily solitary 

 animals and as such they have remained without asexual repro- 

 duction. In all other Hexacorallia, however, the formation of 



