Haddon and Shackleton — A Revision of the British Actinice. 643 



thaa column ; tentacles numerous, rather long, light orange. Breadth of colony, 

 2 to 3 inches ; height of polyps in expansion, 1 inch or more ; diameter, 

 "5 to -7 of an inch" (p. 137). He further adds: — "Hitherto it has not been 

 found elsewhere than upon the back of this particular species of crab, which, 

 likewise, has not been found without its polyp. Of these associated creatures we 

 took about 400 couples, at station 947, in 312 fathoms, at one haul. It had 

 previously only been known by a few specimens taken by the Grloucester halibut 

 fishermen, in deep water, off Nova Scotia, and by ourselves in 1880." On p. 316 

 of same journal (Am. Jour. Sci. (3), xxiii.) he adds : — " [Station 947, S. by W. f W, 

 89 miles ofP Martha's Vineyard, sand, mud, Aug. 9, 1881 ; temperature 44° Fr. 

 U. S. Fish. Com. Rep. for 1882-1884, p. 643]." '' Episoanthus pagiiriphila, Verrill, 

 sp. nov., 252-458 faths." — and gives a list of the stations at which it was 

 obtained. 



In the Bulletin Mus. Comp. Zool. Cambridge, Mass., Verrill gives the colour 

 as translucent bluish or purplish-gray, or grayish -brown. In fresh specimens the 

 tentacles are pale-orange or salmon, with lighter tips, and polyps more or less of 

 a salmon-colour. The diameter of ordinary specimens, 60—70 mm. ; vertical 

 thickness, 25—30 mm. ; length of polyps, 1 6-20 mm. ; diameter in middle, 

 10-12 mm. ; and at base, 12— 18 mm. Some specimens considerably larger than 

 this were obtained. There are seven to twelve polyps. 



Body-wall (PI. lix, fig. 6). — The ectoderm is not continuous, but is 

 penetrated by strands of mesogloea, which unite (as in Z. coppingeri and other 

 species of Zoanthus and of Isaurus, and also in G. macmurrichi, to form a 

 peripheral layer of mesogloea. This peripheral layer of mesogloea is not 

 distinguishable from the cuticle which covers the body. A more deeply stained 

 outer layer may often be seen, but it appears to be simply due to the shrinking of 

 the edge of mesogloea under the action of heat. The columnar cells of the 

 ectoderm are closely packed, and stain deeply. They often contain dark pigment 

 granules. Nematocysts filled with similar pigment-granules are frequently found 

 amongst them. The few foreign particles (chiefly foraminifera and grains of 

 sand) which incrust this species are generally found partly embedded in the 

 ectoderm and partly in the adjacent mesoglcea. The mesogloea is remarkably 

 thick, being relatively much thicker than in any other species of Zoauthean 

 examined by us. In section the mesogloea a^jpears to enclose numerous " cell- 

 islets." Some of these, however, are much elongated, and might possibly be 

 regarded as forming parts of canals. We have not been able, however, to trace 

 any distinct canals arising from either ectoderm or endoderm ; and it seems more 

 probable that all these cell enclosures are completely surrounded by mesogloea. 

 The usual spindle-shaped cells drawn out into long fibres can be discerned 

 running through the mesogloea. The endodermal muscular layer is not very well 



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