No. 1.] ACTINIARIA OF THE BAHAMAS. 37 
Genus Discosoma, Leuck. 
Synon.— Priapus (pars) — Forskal, 1775. 
Actinia (pars) — Ellis, 1767. 
Hydra (pars) — Gmelin, 1788. 
Discosoma — Leuckart, 1828. 
Actinodiscus — Blainville, 1830. 
Discostoma — Ehrenberg, 1834. 
Discosomidz, with the column either smooth or furnished 
with verrucz towards its upper portion. Tentacles rather small 
and finger-shaped, covering the greater portion of the disc. 
Sphincter muscle strong, and of the circumscribed variety. 
The earlier names under which the members of this genus 
were included do not call for comment. Ehrenberg (’34) altered 
the term bestowed by Leuckart, considering it inappropriate ; 
and Verrill adopted this altered name (’68) on the ground that 
the term Discosoma had been applied to an Arachnid and Dis- 
cosomus to a reptile by Oken. In retaining Leuckart’s original 
name I have followed Andres, since, as he points out, its appli- 
cation to the Actinian has the priority, the Arachnid not having 
been named till 1830. 
7. Discosoma anemone (Ellis), Duch. (Pl. I., Fig. 8; Pl. IIL., 
Pigs. 15-16; Pl. IV., Fig. 1:) 
Synon.— Actinia anemone, n. sp. — Ellis, 1767. 
Hydra anemone — Gmelin, 1788. 
Discosoma anemone — Duchassaing, 1850. 
Actinia helianthus, n. sp. — Ellis, 1767. 
Hydra helianthus — Gmelin, 1788. 
Discosoma helianthus — Milne-Edwards, 1857. 
I have included under the name Dzscosoma anemone both 
forms described by Ellis, believing that the differences between 
the two forms indicated by that author were simply due to dif- 
ferent degrees of contraction or to age. 
This species is very common in the neighborhood of New Prov- 
idence, especially near the quarantine station on Athol Island, 
and also occurs at Abaco Island of the Little Bahama reef. 
It is found along the sandy shores lying buried in the sand, with 
the tentacle-covered disc exposed, sometimes attached below to 
loose stones or buried sticks, but more frequently is unattached. 
