— 7 — 



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observed to be characteristic, there would be no difficulty in distin- 

 guishing the two species by the sphincter alone. 



Duchassaing and Michelotti (1860) recognize the general similarity 

 of this species to the others which they described, but (1864) regard 



it as distinct on account of the smaller 

 number of verrucae and the greater 

 simplicity of the fronds. Adding to 

 these characteristics the form of the 

 spincter, it would seem that the spe- 

 cies is one which must be retained. 

 It is to be regretted that no spe- 

 cimen of A. formosa remains in the 

 collection. Judging from the brief de- 

 scriptions of it which exist the acro- 

 rhagi or fronds had the structure of 

 those of A. flosculifera rather than 

 those of A. conchilega or A. radiata. 

 Indeed it is not impossible that it 

 may be identical with flosculifera. 

 Duchassaing and Michelotti's figures, however, show only twenty ten- 

 tacles and their descriptions are otherwise too indefinite to permit of 

 certainty, even if the figure be regarded as inaccurate as to the ten- 

 tacles. The possi bility of the identity should, however, be borne in 

 mind, although until specimens, preferably from Guadeloupe.have been 

 again studied, it seems well to regard the species as distinct. 



To sum up the views which have been expressed above with 

 regard to the West Indian species of Actinostella, the synonymy of 

 the species may be stated as follows : 



A. formosa Duch. 

 Synon : Actinostella formosa, Duch., 1850. 



Cereus formosa Milne-Edwards, 1857. 

 Oulactis formosa Duch. Mich., 1860, 1864. 

 Asteractis formosa Verrill, 1899. 



A. flosculifera (Lsr). 

 Actinia flosculifera Lesueur, 1817. 

 Oulactis (?) flosculifera Milne-Edwards, 1857. 

 Oulactis flosculifera McMurrich, 1889. 

 Evactis flosculifera Andres, 1883. 

 Asteractis flosculifera Verrill, 1899. 

 Oulactis fasciculata McMurrich, 1889a. 



A. conchilega (Duch. Mich.) 

 Oulactis flosculifera Duch. Mich. 1860, 1864. 

 Oulactis conchilega Duch. and Mich. 1860. 



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