136 



STAUROPHOEA. 



STAUROPHORA Brandt. 



Slaurophnra Brandt (non Forbes) ; in Mem. Acad. St. Petersburg, 11. p. 399. 1835. 

 Sinurophora AoASS. ; in Mem. Am. Acad., IV. p. 300. 

 Slaurojihwa Agass. Cont, Nat. Hist. U. S., IV. p. 351. 1862. 

 Staurophora Less. Zooph. Acal., p. 297. 1843. 



Staurophora laciniata Agass. 



SlauropJwra laciniata Agass. ; in Mem. Am. Acad., IV. p. 300, PI. 7. 1849. 

 Staurophora liiciniata Agass. Cont. Nat. Hist. U. S., IV. p. 351. 1862. 

 Staurophora laciniata A. AoASS. ; in Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., IX. Figs. 1, 2, 3. 

 Staurophora laciniata Stimps. Mar. Inv. Grand Manan, p. 11. 1853. 



The youngest Medusa of Staurophora which has been observed 

 (Fig. 215'') resembles to such an extent the young Melicertum (Figs. 

 Fig. ■21.:.'. 203, 205), as readily to have been taken for dif- 



ferent stages of the same Jelly-fish, did not the 

 absence of pigment eye-specks enable me to dis- 

 tinguish them sufficiently easily. The develop- 

 ment of the tentacles of the young Medusa ex- 

 plains itseU" from the accompanying figures (Figs. 216% 217), as well 

 as the changes of form of the digestive cavity, as it passes from a simple 

 pendent pouch (Fig. 215") through the different stages (o, h, c, Fig. 

 218), where the digestive cavity loses little by little its individuality, 

 the corners gradually extend along the chymiferous tubes, and in 



Fig. 217. 



Fig. 216'. 



Fig. 218. 



quite young specimens (c, Fig. 218) the actinostome can no longer be 

 distinguished among the innumerable small folds of the genital pouches. 

 In Fig. 219 the young Staurophora has all the characters of tiie adult, 

 excepting the size of the diflerent parts. The violet pigment-spots at 

 the base of the tentacles are quite apparent, being perceptible in 



Fig. 215*. Young Staurophora, with eight tentacles. 



Fig. 216*. Quarter of the disk of a young Staurophora, with si.xteen large tentacles. 

 Fig. 217. Young Medusa, somewhat more advanced than Fig. 216*. 



Fig. 218. Diflerent stages of tlie actinostome, intermediate between that of Figs. 215* and 219. 

 a, the youngest ; b, the ne.xt ; c, tlie oldest. 



