82 T. KOMAI : STUDIES ON TWO ABERRANT CTENOPHORES 



spcrni-cells. Moreover, the situation of the egg-cells is very unusual : 

 they develop in the ventral epidermis, instead of in the wall of 

 the meridional canals as in ordinary ctenophores. They are found 

 dispersed between the ordinary epidermal cells (PI. 8, figs, ii, 14,-16, 

 PI. 9, figs. 6 Si y, ov), developing no structure to be termed ovary. 

 The egg-cells may occur practically anywhere in the ventral epidermis, 

 as well as in the oral half of the oesophageal wall. But, as a general 

 rule, large egg-cells are found nearer the margin of the body and small 

 egg-cells in the central region. Especially, the cells of the largest sizes 

 occur in parts a little internal to the margin of the body, where they 

 form a nearly complete circle (PI. 8, fig. 7). Smallest egg- cells, to be 

 unmistakably recognized as such, are found in the central part of the 

 body; they are situated between the basal parts of the epidermal cells 

 (PI. 9, figs. 6 & 7). Moreover, since nearly complete gradations may 

 be found between such cells and ordinary epidermal cells, we seem to 

 be justified to decide that the egg-cells develop from the ectoderm. 

 Perhaps the cells arrive there by migration from other places, as it has 

 been maintained by Schneider ('04) in Beroe, yet, I could observe 

 nothing of this kind. Anyway, if the migration of germ-cells takes 

 place in Gasirodes, it seems to occur in a very early stage of the animal, 

 when the germinal layers are not differentiated well as yet. 



The developing egg-cells send out a stalk-like plasmic process to 

 the margin of the epidermis (fig. 6), where its terminal end often 

 assumes a funnel-shape, apparently to facilitate absorption of nutriments 

 directly from the body of the host. Large egg-cells are accordingly 

 pyriform; the nucleus is found in the broad basal part which is imbedded 

 within the parenchyme tissue under the epidermis. The length of such 

 egg-cells surpasses much the thickness of the latter. Some large egg-cells 

 present a somewhat amoeboid appearance (fig. 7). The largest egg-cells 

 observed measured about 60// in length, 40// in breadth, the nucleus and 

 the nucleolus about 30// and 10 /i in diameter respectively. In the egg- 

 cells of such sizes, one can discriminate in cytoplasm the differentiation of 

 the central and superficial layers, of which the former is eosinophilous 

 and may show a granular appearance, while the latter is cyanophilous 

 and exhibits fine longitudinal striations especially in the parts constituting 

 the stalk-like process mentioned above. The nucleus contains a large 

 nucleolus, besides some rod-shaped chromatin granules distributed here 

 and there in the nuclear cavit}'. The nucleus is mostly spheroidal in 

 shape, but may be provided with a short process directed towards the 



