NO. 3593 VICTORELLA — BANTA H 



I have examined specimens of the animal identified as Alcyonidiwm 

 pamsiticum (Fleming;, 1828) by Soule (1953, p. 729). The specimens 

 are almost certainly identical with form A of Victorella argilla, which 

 extends the range of the species to Tomales Bay, Calif., 30 feet; Dr. 

 Raymond C. Osburn, collector. 



Discussion 



The genus Victorella has been reviewed in detail by a number of 

 zoologists (Annandale, 1911;Braem, 1951; Brattstrdm, 1954; Marcus, 

 1925, 1940; Soule, 1957; and Valkanov, 1943). The most complete 

 summary is that of Brattstrom (1954), wherein he reviews the tangled 

 and controversial taxonomy of the genus but finally is able to con- 

 clude, with Vallvanov (1943, p. 4), only that "we are a long way from 

 a correct view of the genus Victorella." 



Most of the taxonomic trouble stems from a long-standing contro- 

 versy over whether or not Victorella mulleri Kraepelin, 1897, and 

 Victorella pavida Kent, 1S70, are the same species. As Brattstrom 

 (1954, p. S) points out, V. mulleri has never been taken from waters in 

 which V. pavida does not occur. Some authors, led by Valkanov 

 (1943), Marcus (1940), and Soule (1957), are of the opinion that V. 

 mulleri is only a "growth phase encountered in the younger colonies of 

 V. imvida" (Soule, 1957, p. 25) and point to the wide variability of the 

 characters used to separate them. Braem (1951, p. 22), on the other 

 hand, not only is of the opinion that they are distinct species, but also 

 maintains that the differences are so fundamental that the species 

 must be relegated to separate genera. After perhaps the most ex- 

 haustive recent study on the genus, Braem (1951, p. 33) concurs with 

 previous authors that such characters as the relative length of the 

 upright portion of the zoecium and the number of folds in the setigerous 

 collar are of only superficial value in separating species or genera. He 

 concludes, nevertheless, that V. pavida and V. mulleri may be distin- 

 guished on the basis of the following characters: (1) the cardiac 

 sphincter in V. pavida is developed at the center of the cardiac stomach, 

 whereas it is at the proximal end in V. mulleri; (2) an intertentacular 

 organ is present in V. pavida but is replaced in V. miilleri by a supra- 

 neural pore at a corresponding position; (3) the embryos are brooded 

 in the vestibule of V. mulleri, but the reproductive habits of V. pavida 

 are not fully known (Braem, 1951, p. 33). Soule (pers. comm.) has 

 pointed out that he misquotes Braem in his (Soule's) 1957 paper 

 (p. 25). He states that entirely different characters were used in the 

 generic description of Tanganella by Braem (1951, p. 33). 



Other characteristics, such as the length of the apertural papilla 

 and the pattern of budding, are useful, but wide variabifity makes 



