LAODICEA. 



127 



LAODICEA Less. 



Lnndicea Less. Zooph. Aoal., p. 294. 1843. 

 Laoil'u-ea Ag.\s8. Cont. Nat. Hist. U. S., IV. p. 350. 18G2. 

 Cosmulirci FoitHE.s. Brit. Naked-evfd Medusa', p. 42. 1848. 

 Tliaumantias Gegexb. («on Esch.) ; in Zeit. f. W. Zoul., p. 237. 1856. 



Laodicea cellularia A. Agass. 



Laodicca cellularia A. Agass. ; in ^Vgassiz's Cont. Nat. Hist. U. S., IV. p. 350. 18C2. 



I am somewhat doubtful whether this species (Fig. 195) l^elongs to 

 the genus Laodicea, as the examination of the tentacles could not be 

 made sufficiently accurate to determine this pomt. The general form 



rig. 195 Fig. 196. 



of the ovaries, however, is the same, beginning at the digestive cavity, 

 and running in the form of small hanging lol^es along the chymiferous 

 tubes, close to the circular tube. The digestive cavity is so short that 

 the edge, which extends in the shape of four long, narrow lips, deejjly 

 frilled (Fig. 196), seems the continuation of the chymiferous tubes, 

 reminding us somewhat of the structure of the actinostome of the 

 ^quoridaj, as in Stomobrachium. The epithelial cells are large, irreg- 

 vdar, and hexagonal, and can easily be seen with the naked eye. The 

 color of the .spherosome is light violet, the ovaries and digestive cavity 

 being of a darker color, and the base of the circular tentacles of a still 

 stronger shade. There are about twenty-four tentacles between each 

 of the four chymiferous tubes, and a tentacle opposite each tube. Found 

 in the Gulf of Georgia and at Port Townsend, from July to Septembei*. 



Gulf of Georgia, W. T. (A. Agassiz). 



Cat. No. 270, Gulf of Georgia, W. T., 1859, A. Agassiz. Medusa. 



Fig. 195. Laodioea ci'lliilaria. 



Pig. 196. Onp of thi' lips of the actincstome. c, c, c, c, teniiination of tlir (liyinifcroiis tubes 

 into the digestive eavity, </ ; /, fold of the actinostome connecting the lips of the actinostome. 



