207 



Mr. H. R. Stoi'er read a medico-botanical paper on the 

 Ranunculacese. 



Mr. W. O. Ayres presented a description of a new 

 species of Holothuria, brought from the coast of South 

 CaroHna, by Mr. Stimpson, to which he proposed to give 

 the name of Pentamera pulcherrima. 



The genus Pentacta — or according to many authors — Cu- 

 cumaria, has, until quite recently, been made to include all the 

 species whose suckers are arranged in five regular rows. It is, 

 however, now found to comprise rather a family than a single 

 genus, inasmuch as many types of quite diversified structure 

 agree in the arrangement of their suckers. The present species 

 has them in five rows, but cannot be classed with Cucumaria^ as 

 limited by Duben and Koren. They describe the oral circle as 

 "nee sursum nee deorsum in longiores processus productus." 

 Mr. Forbes says it has " nearly square plates." Our species 

 has them nearly as in Sclerodactyla. With Botryodactyla it 

 agrees in the rows of suckers but not in the oral circle, nor in 

 the nature of the integuments, which are much more allied to 

 those of Stereoderma. The tentacula are like those of Sclero- 

 dactyla. It appears necessary, therefore, to establish a new 

 genus, which may be called 



PENTAMERA AyrCS. 

 It is thus characterized. Body ovate, elongate, with the extre- 

 mities inclining upward. Tentacula ten, two less developed 

 than the others, much branched ; calcareous deposits in irregu- 

 lar perforated plates, like those of Thyonidium but much smaller. 

 Anus armed with calcareous papillae. Oral circle of ten pieces, 

 shaped like those of Sclerodactyla (Proceedings of Boston So- 

 ciety of Natural History, Vol. IV. p. 102.) Suckers numerous, 

 in five rows. Skin with abundant calcareous deposits, in nu- 

 merous inseparable, perforated layers. Genital tube undi- 

 divided. 



Adopting the specific name proposed in Mr. Stimpson's manu- 

 script, the species will be called P. pulcherrima. Having only 

 a single specimen for description, some parts of the internal 

 structure cannot be studied. 



