770 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 14 



Barentsia subrigida new species 

 Plate 82, fig. 9 



A large species, reaching a height of more than 5 mm ; it is especially 

 characterized by the stalk which possesses regularly two internodes ; the 

 basal one is very elongate, 1.30 to more than 4 mm; the basal half, more 

 or less, has the wall chitinized and rigid while the upper part remains 

 thin-walled, muscular and flexible; this is followed by a somewhat ex- 

 panded muscular joint, and above this is a short thin-walled and wrinkled 

 flexible internode, only 0.40 to 0.55 mm in length. When completely 

 developed, the top of the basal internode and the base of the terminal 

 internode are both enlarged to about twice the width of the stem with 

 a short muscular section between them ; the terminal one has a definite 

 diaphragm just above the node, similar to the one at the base of the 

 first internode. Very old basal internodes may become chitinized for 

 the full length, but I have seen only two such internodes. In any case 

 the short terminal internode is always transparent and flexible. The 

 basal internode usually bears a few "perforations," scattered and gen- 

 erally disappearing entirely on the upper half. 



The basal muscular bulb varies greatly in height, from 0.25 to 0.55 

 mm, probably depending on the nature of contraction, and the width 

 is about 0.15 mm. 



The calyx is large, averaging about 0.35 mm high to the base of the 

 tentacle crown, by 0.40 mm in width ; the largest calyx measures 0.50 

 mm high by 0.52 mm wide; the dorsal side is more rounded than the 

 frontal side, and the base is broadly rounded and attached by a rounded 

 bulb to the upper internode. The tentacle number cannot be counted 

 accurately but it appears to be at least 20. 



The very regular disparity in the length of the two internodes, the 

 thin-walled flexible upper ends of the basal internodes and the constant 

 thin-walled, muscular, short terminal internodes, together with the large 

 size, apparently mark this as a hitherto unknown species. It is possible 

 that the Ascopodaria macropus of Robertson may belong here instead 

 of under B. geniculata. The only other known species with flexible inter- 

 nodes is B. laxa Kirkpatrick, which has no joints in the stalk, no "per- 

 forations," and the stalk is not heavily chitinized basally. 



Type, AHF no. 132. 



Type locality, Hancock Station 1274-41, three and one-half miles 

 south of Hueneme, southern California, 28°23'20''N, 115°11'52"W, 

 at 55 fms, two colonies. Another specimen in the collection is labeled 

 simply "California." 



