BRYOZOA OF THE PHILIPPINE REGION 67 



In the Philippines the specimens occurred but rarely and they 

 were almost always dead. A few preserving their ectocyst were of 

 a beautiful brown violet color and retained the serrate denticle. 

 Our specimens were encrusting algae or shells, were uni- or bila- 

 mellar and always deprived of their spicules, a condition very 

 frequent, however, on the fossil forms. We have illustrated some 

 interesting variations. 



The opercular valve is thin, very fragile, transparent, transverse, 

 surrounded by a rim of the same form; it is similar to those of all 

 the other membranipores. 



Waters, 1913, has described a great development of the funicular 

 tissue (mesenchyme). Harmer, 1926, writes that in many of the 

 cells the large retractor muscle of the 



polypide is inserted at the proximal an- /> s:f ^ ==! \ se ^"""^ se 

 gle without destroying the symmetry of [> ]) ( J 5 



the opesium. 



Biology. — The geographic distribution Fig. 10. — Acanthodesia savartii 

 indicates a purely tropical species, and Savigny-Audouin, 1S26 



the geologic distribution shows that in Two opercular valves, X85; 

 the ancient seas it digressed little from sv, sclerite of the valve; se, ex- 

 that region. Our specimens have all tenor sclerite of the ectocyst on 

 i <. j • .i j , !■, which the opercular valve is 



been lound in the same region and at lit- , , 



i i i x • • ,v i • supported, 



tie depth. It is in enect a shore species 



which disappears at a depth of 60 meters, although Harmer did 

 note it at 118 meters in one Malay locality. For this reason 

 we wrote in 1920: "It appears sensitive to bathymetric variation, 

 implying an elementary hydrostatic system, and the absence of 

 powerful means of oxygenation." Its presence among the fossils 

 is a good indication as to the bathymetric conditions of the ancient 

 seas. 



Occurrence. — 



D. 5136. Sulu Sea, Jolo Light, Jolo; 6° 04' 20" N.; 120° 59' 



20" E.; 22 fathoms; S. Sh. 

 D. 5137. Jolo Light, Jolo; 6° 04' 25" N.; 120° 58' 30" E.; 



20 fathoms; S. Sh. 

 D. 5145. Jolo Light, Jolo; 6° 04' 30" N.; 120° 59' 30" E.; 



23 fathoms; co. S., Sh. 

 D. 5147. Sulade Island, Sulu Archipelago; 5° 41' 40" N.; 



120° 47' 10" E.; 21 fathoms; co. S., Sh. 

 D. 5151. Sirun Island, Sulu Archipelago, Tawi Tawi Group; 

 5° 24' 40" N.; 120° 27' 15" E.; 24 fathoms; co. 

 S., Sh. 

 D. 5174. Jolo Light, Jolo ; 6° 03' 45" N. ; 120° 57' E. ; 20 fathoms ; 

 crs. S. 

 Geographic distribution. — Atlantic: Morocco; Florida (53 meters); 

 Gulf of Mexico (22 to 30 fathoms); Tortugas (16 meters). Pacific: 



