446 Happon—The Actiniaria of Torres Straits. 
Family.— Paractipz, Hertw. 
Actiniinee with a pedal disk, asmooth or warty column; no cinclides ; tentacles 
short and stout to moderately long; usually numerous perfect mesenteries ; 
acontia wanting; strong mesoglceal sphincter muscle. 
As this family is not represented in my collection I shall say very little about 
it. It was erected by Hertwig (1882, p. 41), and has been established by Simon 
(1892, p. 45), and M‘Murrich (1893, p. 160). Carlgren proposes (1893, p. 187) to 
separate from it a new family Actinostolide. Both families agree in having a 
pedal dise, moderately long tentacles, and numerous perfect mesenteries ; radial 
musculature of the oral disk, and longitudinal muscles of the tentacles usually 
mesogleeal; sphincter mesoglceal generally well developed. Acontia and cinclides 
wanting. In the Paractide the mesenteries are all ‘‘ regularly developed,” 
whereas in the Actinostolide ‘ the pairs of mesenteries of the higher cycles (from 
the third and fourth on) irregularly developed, so that the mesentery whose longi- 
tudinal muscle generally looks towards the next lower mesentery cycle is more 
developed than the other of the same pair.” Perhaps it would be better to make 
these two groups into sub-families. 
The genera Paractis, M. Edw. ; Paranthus, Andr.; Anthosactis, Danl.; Stomphia, 
Gosse; Dysactis, M. Edw.; Ophiodiscus, Hertw. (?);* Tealidium, Hertw. ; 
Antholoba, Hertw.; Actinernus, Verr. (Polysiphonia, Hertw.); Actinostola, 
Verr; Pyenanthus, M°M.; Cymbactis, M°M.; Kadosactis, Danl.; and Kyathactis, 
Danl., have been placed in this family by various authors. 
Family.—SacartTupa@, Gosse. 
Actiniinee with a contractile pedal disk ; body-wall smooth, or provided with 
verrucee or tubercles, and usually perforated by cinclides, with or without a 
cuticle. Tentacles usually numerous and retractile, not very long, smooth, simple, 
and generally entacmzous. Sphincter muscle characteristically well developed 
and mesogleeal, occasionally diffuse endodermal, or even absent. At least six 
pairs of perfect mesenteries; the first cycle of six pairs of mesenteries may be 
fertile or sterile. Acontia present. 
This family was erected by Gosse in 1858 (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 1. p. 415); 
I partially discussed the family, and described a new sub-family in 1889 (‘Trans. 
R. D.S. (2) 1v. pp. 301 e¢ seg.; Simon (1892); Carlgren (1893, p. 86); and 
Kwietniewsky (1897, p. 823) have more recently discussed the limits of this 
* M*Murrich regards this as one of the Dendromelide. 
