TEALIA TCJBERCULATA (COCKS) . 209 



therefore places the names Actinia tuherculata, Cocks, and Tealia 

 tuherculata, Gosse, among the synonyms of T. crassicorais. Tins 

 he was scarcely justified in doing, as he had never examined a 

 specimen. 



But Professor Haddon* has done something much more surprising. 

 He places, with a note of interrogation, Tealia tuherculata (Cocks), 

 Gosse, as a synonymn of Actinauge Richardi, Marion. This species 

 is one of the sub-family Chondractininae, of Sagartian Actiniae ; 

 Sagartian Actiniae, according to Haddon's definition, being those 

 which possess acontia, while the Chondractininae are distinguished by 

 emitting the acontia by the mouth only. All the Chondractiuinas 

 have six primary mesenteries. It is thus sufiiciently evident that 

 T. tuherculata does not belong to the Chondractininse, and is not, 

 therefore, identical with Actinauge Richardi. But it must also be 

 pointed out that there are sufiicient indications even in Cocks' 

 original description and Gosse's remarks that Cocks' species was 

 quite different from Actinauge Richardi. In the latter species, 

 Haddon states that the pedal disc is usually bent round ventrally so 

 as to form a cup- shaped concavity which is filled with sand. Cocks 

 states that his specimen was attached to a valve of Pecten maximus. 

 In A. Richardi Haddon states that the tentacles of the inner cyles 

 have a well-marked swelling at their bases, and thinks that a mis- 

 interpretation of this character was the cause of Cocks' description 

 of some of the tentacles in his specimen as bifurcated or trifurcated. 

 This certainly shows very little respect for Mr. Cocks' powers of 

 observation, and it is to be hoped that Professor Haddon will re- 

 ceive better treatment at the hands of his successors. Mr. Cocks 

 describes the tentacles of his specimens as obtuse, those of Actinauge 

 Richardi taper towards the extremity. The diameter of the latter 

 species is 3 cm., that of Cocks' specimen three and a half inches. 



The classification of the Actinias is still very uncertain and un- 

 satisfactory. Gosse's definition of the genus Tealia, which is pi-ac- 

 tically adopted by Hertwig in his Challenger Report, applies to the 

 species here under consideration in all respects but one, — the tubercles 

 of the column in T. tuherculata are arranged in vertical rows, not 

 irregularly scattered ; but these rows are not so widely separated 

 nor so distinctly marked as in Bunodes. Andres adopts Gosse's 

 definition, with the addition of the clause : Tentacles in decimal 

 cycles, not duodecimal. In this I agree with Andres. For the 

 present, therefore, I think that we may define the genus Tealia as 

 follows : Tentacles numerous, in decimal cycles, short, or of moderate 

 length, very contractile ; margin completely covering the disc in 

 contraction ; a fossa between the margin and the outer tentacles, 



* Revision of the British Actinice, see Trans. Roy. Dab. Soc, vol. iv, sur. ii. 

 NEW SERIES. VOL. I^ NO. II. 14 



