460 Verrill, Notes on Radiata. 



Order, ACTINARIA VerriU. 



Actinaria (pars) Dana, including Actinidm (family), Zoanthidae, (family), and Anti- 

 pathacea (tfihe), Zoophytes, 1846; Gosse, Actinologia Britannici, p. 6, 1860. 



Zoanthaires (jmrs) Edw. and Haime, including Actinaires and Antipathaires (subor- 

 ders), Corall., i, p. 224, 1857; Verrill, Mem. Boston Soc Nat. Hist., i, p. 14, 1863. 



Actinaria (order) Verrill, Proceedings Essex Inst., iv, p. 147, Feb. — April, 1865; 

 ditto, vol. V, p. 315, 18G8. 



(?) Actinoids, ^^ Actinaria Edw." (order) A. and Mrs. E. C. Agassiz, Sea -side Studies 

 in Natural History, p. 7 and 152, after May, 1865. (No characters given or limits 

 assigned perhaps not intended to include Antipathacea). 



Body fleshy, or coriaceous, composed of from six, or ten, to several 

 iimidred spheromeres, which are usually in multiplies of six, united 

 only by the outer wall of the body, so as to leave, between adjacent 

 spheromeres, interambulacral spaces in which the new spheromei-es 

 originate during growth. Basal or abactinal region well developed, 

 specialized, either free or attached, sometimes capable of secreting a 

 horn-like support (Antipathes), or a thin corneus pelicle {Adamsia, 

 Cancrisocia). No coral or solid calcareous deposits in the wall or ra- 

 diating lamellae. Ambulacral chambers open from the summit to the 

 base. Tentacles usually simple, hollow, tubular, or conical, mostly in 

 multiples of six ; sometimes only six or ten. 



Although the Actinians are evidently numerous, both in species and 

 individuals, upon the tropical portion of the Pacific coast of America, 

 it is remarkable that but one species has hitherto been described from 

 the entire region between Paita, Peru, and San Francisco, Cal. In 

 the collections of Mr. Bradley there are large numbers of Actinia^ but 

 in most cases it would be almost useless to attempt descriptions of 

 these animals from preserved specimens alone. Consequently I have 

 omitted most of the species which are unaccompanied by notes or 

 drawings made from the specimens while living. 



Many of the Actinim from Peru and Chili have been well figured 

 and described by Lesson* and by Drayton,f while those of the north- 

 ern coast (Sitcha) have been briefly described by Brandt, J whose un- 

 satisfactory diagnoses refer almost exclusively to the colors, which 



* Histoire naturelle des Zoophytes recueillis dans le Voyage autour du monde de la 

 Corvette de sa majeste, la Coquille, 1822—1825, Captaine Duperrey. Par K.-P. Les- 

 son, Paris, 1832. 



f United States Exploring Expedition, during the years 1838—1842. under the 

 Command of Charles Wilkes, U. S. N. Vol. vii, Zoophytes. By J. D. Dana. Actin- 

 idse by Mr. Joseph Drayton. Philadelphia, 1846. 



X Prodromiis descriptiones animalium a Mertensio in orbis terrarum circumnaviga- 

 tione observatorum. J. F. Brandt, 1835. 



