No: te] ACTINIARIA OF THE BAHAMAS. 47 
scribed below, has the priority over Klunzinger’s term; but, 
since the characters which were assigned to it by its authors 
are, if anything, specific and not generic, I have ventured to 
disregard its priority. The justice of this is no doubt open to 
question, but in this case I think that such a substitution has 
much in its favor. Not only does Klunzinger’s definition char- 
acterize the genus, which cannot be said of Duchassaing and 
Michelotti’s, but the term Heteranthus itself is preferable as in- 
dicating a character of the forms to which it is applied, and is 
much more in harmony with Actinian nomenclature. The char- 
acters assigned to Rzcordea will be discussed below in connec- 
tion with the description of the species. 
9. Heteranthus floridus (Duch. and Mich.). (Pl. L, Fig. 10; 
Pl. IV., Figs. 4-5.) 
Synon. — Ricordea florida — Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860. 
This form occurs not unfrequently adhering to stones in shal- 
low water, and was usually found in association with RA. Sancti 
Thome. Like that species it adheres very firmly to the surface 
of the rocks, so that it is exceedingly difficult to detach it with- 
out injury, especially since when touched it throws off large 
quantities of mucus. 
In color (PI. I., Fig. 10) it is pale flesh color below, shading off 
above into a purplish brown. The disc and peristome are also 
of a purplish brown, with a very decided green tinge. The 
outer tentacles are green, and the disc tentacles of the same 
color as the disc. The mouth and stomodzum are white. 
The base, on account of its firm adhesion to the rock and its 
accommodating itself to the uneven surface of attachment, is 
usually very irregular and folded so as to project into the cavity 
of the body, and it retains these foldings to a greater or less 
extent when removed from the rock. This circumstance, to- 
gether with the small height of the specimens, rendered it very 
difficult to obtain preparations from which the arrangement of 
the mesenteries, etc., could be accurately determined. 
The column is low, measuring in height 0.45 cm., and in 
diameter about 1.2 cm. Its outer surface is raised into minute 
tubercles hardly visible to the naked eye, and supported by 
exceedingly delicate, frequently somewhat branched, processes 
