PROVISIONAL SPECIES. 2S5 



" Syncokvne .Tohnstoni," Van BeiicJeii. 



The hydroid to which M. Van Beiieden gives the above name is described by iiiiu as follows : — 

 " Les tentacules sont au nombre de douze, places sur troisrangs, s'etendant pendant le repos de 

 maniere a dcpasscr la longneur du corp ; le corp est legerement brunatre. 



" La colonic est tres-irregulierement ramifiee et rampante : on voit souvent des tiges 

 droitcs et longues s'elever a peu de distance en dessous du coip des polipulcs. 



" Le polypier meme est transparent, d'un jaune dory plus on nioins tortucux." ' Recherches 

 sur la Faunelit. de Belg.,' p. 120, pi. V, figs. 1—3. 



Though neither figure nor description is given of the gonophore of this hydroid, we can 

 gather from an allusion made to it by M. Van Beneden that it is medusiform. Without, how- 

 ever, a fuller description of the gonosome, the species cannot be regarded as otherwise thm 

 provisional. 



" Si'NCORYNE LovENii," Van Benedcn. 



The hydranth in this species is described by M. Van Beneden as being very much elongated, 

 and having its tentacles short, and arranged in four or five alternating verticils with four tentacles 

 in each verticil; the colony ramified, with, the branches appearing at rather regular intervals and 

 never tortuous ; the perisarc thin and of a golden-yellow colour. See ' Recherches sur la Faune 

 lit. deBelg.,' p. 121. 



If the verticillate arrangement of the tentacles were complete, this character would point to 

 a relation with Stauridium, and would necessitate the removal of the hydroid from the genus 

 Syncoryiie. We often, however, meet with a tendency in the scattered tentacles of this genus to 

 assume a verticillate disposition without forming true verticils, which is, perhaps, all that M. Van 

 Beneden desires to assert by the phrase " tentacules en etages." 



No mention is made of the size attained by this hydroid, nor is there any description of the 

 gonosome. I have little doubt, however, that the species is distinct from any hitherto descril)ed, 

 though we must wait for the discovery of the gonosome before we can refer it with certainty to 

 its proper genus. It must, therefore, for the present be placed on the list of provisional species. 



Under no circumstances, however, can it retain the name of Syncori/ne Lovenii, this name 

 having been already proposed by Sars for another species, the Syncoryne ramosa of Loven, who 

 thus designated his hydroid under the belief that it was identical with the Slijmla ramosa of 

 Sars, an identification which Sars has since shown to be incorrect. See above, p. 270. 



" CoRYNE R0S.4RIA," Ale.T. Ayassiz. 



Under the name of " Coryne rosaria," Mr. Alex. Agassiz describes a large /SV/rsm-like 

 medusa found swimming freely in the open sea on the Pacific coast of North America, and which 

 he believes himself justified in referring to acorynoid trophosome, which he describes as profusely 

 branched, attaining a height of from three to three and a half inches, and with its hvdranths 

 " slender and supported on remarkably long and attenuated stems.'' ' Illnstr. Catal.,' p. 177. 



His description of the adult medusa, which he tells us " attains an enormous size, measuriuL"- 



