REPORT ON PHILIPPINE HYDROIDA 205 



affairs lying almost parallel to the branches near the bases of which 

 they arise. 



Locality. — Dredging station 5529, between Siquijor and Bohol 

 Islands, off Balicasag Island, 9° 23' 45" N., 123° 39' 30" E.; depth, 

 441 fathoms. 



Distribution. — Norway (Sars), Greenland (Levinsen), Spitzber- 

 gen (Jaderholm), Kara Sea (Jaderholm), North Sea (Broch), 

 Barents Sea (Thompson), Siberian Polar Sea (Jaderholm), Bering 

 Sea (Jaderholm), East Coast United States (Verrill), Coast of 

 Japan (von Marenzeller). 



So far as the present writer knows, this is the first report of S. 

 plicatile from Philippine waters. 



STEGOPOMA GRACILIS Nutting 



Stegopoma gracilis Nutting, Hydroids of the Hawaiian Islands collected 

 by the Steamer " Albatross " in 1902, U. S. F. C. Bulletin for 1903, pt. 3, 

 1905, p. 914. 



Stegopoma medusiformis Habqitt, Hydroids of the Philippine Islands. 1924, 

 p. 491, pi. 4, fig. 15. 



Dr. Charles Hargitt in his paper on Hydroids of the Philippine 

 Islands, (1924, p. 491) describes a new species which he calls /Stego- 

 poma mechisiformis. In the synonymy following the name he men- 

 tions Campanularia fastigiata Alder. Calycella fastigiata Hincks, 

 and Stegopoma gracilis Nutting. It is difficult for the present writer 

 to understand why, if these are synonyms for his new species, S. 

 medusiformis, he gives them another name. Bestowing a new name 

 on a previously described species is only justified when the old name 

 can be properly outlawed by virtue of the application of one of 

 the well-known laws of nomenclature. Hargitt makes no attempt 

 to justify his ignoring these names which he lists as synonyms. As 

 a matter of fact, I can not see that either of the names that he 

 gives is a synonym of his form, as a little study of Campanularia 

 fastigiata Alder and of Stegopoma gracilis Nutting shows ; the for- 

 mer having a distinctly fascicled stem and the latter having much 

 smaller gonangia as compared with the hydrothecae than Hargitt's 

 species. 



But in completing his discussion of his *&. medusiformis Hargitt 

 says : " In general the species here described agrees very well with 

 those referred to above, but it agrees more closely with that of Nut- 

 ting, Stegopoma gracilis; yet there appear features which differ 

 from it. I am disposed to suggest that on the basis of the distinctive 

 medusoid characters and the larger size of the gonangia it be desig- 

 nated as a new species." 



In other words, Hargitt first names S. medusiformis definitely as 

 a new species ; then he regards S. fastigiata and S. gracilis as syno- 



