67 



SECT. V. THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF THE PHYSOPHORIDiE. 



The systematic arrangement of the Physophorida is beset with difficulties which are 

 partly due to the nature of the animals themselves, but still more to the confusion introduced 

 by the mistakes of systematists. 



The term " Physsophora " was first used by Forskal, and under it may be found, in his 

 ' Descriptiones Animalium,' good and clear descriptions of three very distinct though allied 

 animals — Physsophora liydrostatica, Physsophora rosacea, and Physsophora filiformis, all of 

 which were discovered in the Mediterranean. 



Peron and Lesueur ('Voyage aux Terres Australes') represent a Physophora muzonema, 

 obviously closely allied to the P. hydrostatica of Forskal, and they give the name of Bhizophysa 

 planestoma to another Physophorid, which is as nearly related to P. filiformis. At the same 

 time they figure two new forms, Stephanomia amphitridis, and S. uvaria, without expressing 

 any opinion as to their zoological relations.^ Subsequentl)'^, on the return of these naturalists 

 from a visit to the French coasts of the Mediterranean, Lesueur communicated to the Societe 

 Philomatique (from whose bulletin it was copied into the 'Journal de Physique' for 1813, 

 t. Ixxvi, p. 119, under the title of ' Memoire sur queique nouvelles especes d'Animaux 

 Mollusques et Radiaires recueillies dans la Mediterranee pres de Nice') a notice of some of the 

 animals which they had observed, and which are stated to "belong to the genera Salpa, 

 Stephania (sic), Physsophora, Pyrosoma and Hyalcea." 



The word " Stephania " appears to be a misprint for Stephanomia, but I can find no 

 evidence respecting the relation of this Stephanomia to that already figured. 



Eschscholz (' System' &c.) separated the Stephanomia uvaria (the original drawing of 

 which, in the Banksian Museum, he had carefully examined) with great justice from the 

 Stephanomia amphitridis, and erected the first into a new genus, Apolemia, while he restricted 

 Stephanomia to the latter. 



Forskal's Physsophora hydrostatica, Peron's Physophora, and a species described by Quoy 

 and Gaimard (P. ForsMlii), are combined by Eschscholz into the restricted genus Physophora, 

 while the Ph. rosacea of Forskal is very properly united with the Bhizophysa heliantha of 

 Quoy and Gaimard into a new genus, Athoryhia. 



Eschscholz is less happy in his treatment of the third Forskalian "Physsophora," 

 P. filiformis. Imagining that this was simply a mutilated individual of some Physophorid 



^ Peron does indeed give a highl_y coloured and poetical popular sketch of Sleph. amphitridis 

 (t. i, p. 45), but it haa no scientific value. 



