﻿NO. 
  1946. 
  PACIFIC 
  MEDUSAE 
  AND 
  SIPHONOPHORAE—BIGELOW. 
  3 
  

  

  Genus 
  SARSIA 
  Lesson. 
  

  

  This 
  genus 
  is 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  by 
  two 
  species, 
  S. 
  eximia 
  

   Allman 
  and 
  S. 
  japponica 
  Maas, 
  belonging 
  to 
  what 
  Hartlaub 
  (1907) 
  

   has 
  named 
  the 
  "eximia" 
  group, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  manubrium 
  is 
  short 
  

   and 
  is 
  clothed 
  with 
  genital 
  products 
  from 
  close 
  to 
  its 
  base 
  to 
  near 
  

   the 
  lip, 
  and 
  one, 
  S. 
  princeps, 
  classed 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  "tuhulosa" 
  group, 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  manubrium 
  is 
  long, 
  and 
  the 
  gonad 
  leaves 
  the 
  distal 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  bare. 
  The 
  following 
  species, 
  hrachijgaster 
  Gronberg, 
  barentsi 
  

   Linko, 
  prolifera 
  Forbes, 
  radiata 
  von 
  Lendenfeld, 
  and 
  angulata 
  Mayer, 
  

   are 
  all 
  so 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  eximia 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  questionable 
  whether 
  any 
  

   of 
  them 
  are 
  actually 
  distinct. 
  Thus 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  nothing 
  in 
  Gronberg's 
  

   (1897) 
  figure 
  to 
  separate 
  hrachygaster 
  from 
  eximia. 
  The 
  only 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  is 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  the 
  ocelli, 
  at 
  first 
  black, 
  change 
  to 
  carmine 
  

   with 
  growth, 
  while 
  in 
  hrachygaster 
  they 
  retain 
  their 
  black 
  color, 
  and 
  

   I 
  doubt 
  whether 
  so 
  slight 
  a 
  difference 
  is 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  specific 
  separation. 
  

   Sarsia 
  barentsi 
  is 
  insufficiently 
  described; 
  but 
  although 
  Mayer 
  (1910, 
  

   p. 
  53) 
  believes 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  a 
  young 
  stage 
  of 
  S. 
  tubulosa, 
  it 
  has 
  

   a 
  short 
  manubrium 
  and 
  might 
  equally 
  belong 
  to 
  eximia. 
  S. 
  prolifera, 
  

   in 
  which 
  medusa 
  buds 
  are 
  formed 
  at 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  tentacles, 
  is 
  a 
  

   puzzling 
  form, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  young, 
  or 
  a 
  budding 
  phase, 
  of 
  some 
  

   other 
  Sarsia, 
  as 
  already 
  suggested 
  by 
  Browne 
  (1896). 
  Like 
  eximia, 
  it 
  

   has 
  a 
  short 
  manubrium 
  and 
  well-developed 
  ocelli. 
  S. 
  radiata 
  von 
  

   Lendenfeld 
  (1884), 
  from 
  Australia, 
  likewise 
  resembles 
  eximia 
  in 
  the 
  

   structure 
  of 
  its 
  manubrium, 
  but 
  unfortunately 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  

   or 
  not 
  ocelli 
  are 
  present. 
  The 
  hydroid 
  is 
  certainly 
  very 
  closely 
  allied 
  

   to 
  S. 
  eximia, 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  hydranths 
  agree 
  in 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  

   tentacles 
  and 
  medusa 
  buds, 
  the 
  only 
  differences 
  of 
  importance 
  being 
  

   that 
  the 
  hydranths 
  arise 
  directly 
  from 
  a 
  creeping 
  hydrorhiza. 
  S. 
  

   angulata 
  Mayer 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  eximia; 
  its 
  hydroid 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  

   S. 
  resplendens 
  Bigelow, 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  was 
  described 
  

   as 
  a 
  new 
  species 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  short 
  tentacles, 
  each 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  large 
  

   nematocyst 
  swellings; 
  and, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  studied 
  alive, 
  these 
  characters 
  

   can 
  be 
  assumed 
  to 
  be 
  normal. 
  It 
  is 
  likewise 
  characterized 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  

   brilUant 
  coloration. 
  Mayer 
  (1910) 
  suggests 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  really 
  eximia; 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  that 
  species. 
  

   But 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  better 
  known, 
  and 
  especially 
  till 
  its 
  hydroid 
  is 
  described, 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  retained 
  provisionally. 
  

  

  S.Jlammea 
  and 
  S. 
  japonica 
  lack 
  ocelli, 
  a 
  character 
  separating 
  them 
  

   from 
  eximia, 
  which 
  they 
  otherwise 
  resemble 
  in 
  general 
  appearance. 
  

   They 
  are 
  closely 
  alHed 
  to 
  each 
  other; 
  but 
  Maas 
  (1909, 
  p. 
  6), 
  who 
  has 
  

   examined 
  specimens 
  of 
  both, 
  believes 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  separated 
  by 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  Jlammea 
  the 
  sexual 
  products 
  are 
  arranged 
  in 
  a 
  net- 
  

   work 
  ("Gitterwerke") 
  over 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  manubrium, 
  while 
  in 
  

   japonica 
  they 
  are 
  irregularly 
  massed 
  here 
  and 
  there, 
  though 
  leaving 
  

  

  