162 ACTINLE OF ALBATROSS EXPLORATIONS McMURRICH. 



13 Paractis lineolata (Daua) M.-Kdw. 

 riatc XXIII, Figs. 34-:^6. 



No. 719. Station 2804. Lat. 8 Iti' .30 "N.; long. 79' ' 37' 45" W. Dt-j.tli, 47 fathoms. 

 Fight specimens. 



The species to which I refer the loim about to be described av;is lirst 

 mentioned by Dana ('40) as Actinia lineolata, and was subseciuently 

 referred by Mihie-Edwards ('57) to his genus Paractis. Verrill ('OS), 

 hownn'er, removed it from that genus and i^hiced it in the genus tiayartia, 

 and Andres ('84), assuming it to be a Sagartid, assigned it to Nemac- 

 tis. In its general a]»i)earance tlie '^Albatross" specimens seem to agree 

 with Dana's description, and the absence of acoutia show that they are 

 to be replaced in the genns Paractis, as it is liere understood. 



The individuals are small (PI. xxiii, Fig. 34), and, for the most i)art, 

 contracted to a hemispherical shape, the tentacles being entirely con- 

 cealed, as a rule, though in some specimens they are not perfectly 

 infolded. The base, Avhich is adherent, measures in the contracted 

 specimens O..")'"', and the height of the contracted column is about 0.0'^"'. 



The column is ]»ale in color and is marked with irregular chocolate- 

 brown spots arranged distinctly in rows, and giving the effect of longi- 

 tudinal bands of brown on a ]»ale ground. There is some variation in 

 the width of the bands, Imt 1 could not make out a regular alternation of 

 three narrower bauds with a wider one, such as Dana describes. The 

 column Avail is perfectly smooth ; its mesoghea l)eloAV is rather than, 

 but near the margin it thickens rather suddenly. In this thickened 

 region the si)hinct(M- muscle (PI. xxiii, Fig. 30) is imbedded. It occu- 

 pies in its upj)er part nearly the entire thickness of the mesoghea, being 

 separated from the endoderm on the one side, and the ectoderm on the 

 other, by only a small band of mesoghea. In its hnver part it tapers 

 off, and lies nearer the endodermal tlian the ectodermal surface. The 

 mesogloea throughout the column wall has a tibrous api)earance, and 

 the slightly OA^al muscle cavities appear to l)e separated by line fibrous 

 l)artitions in transverse sections. 



The tentacles are short and obtuse; in one specimen in which they 

 could be seen they AVere numerous, probably numbering ninety-six, 

 Avhile in another there seemed to be only forty-eight. In this respect 

 the form here described differs from Dana's .1. lineolata, Avhich is de- 

 scribed as having only t\A^enty-four tentacles, arranged in two cycles. 

 The longitudinal muscles of the tentacles, and the corresponding radial 

 ones of the disc, are rather Aveakly developed and are entirely ecto- 

 dermal in position. The tentacles seem to cover a large portion of the 

 disc, though, owing to the cimtracted condition of llie specimens, this 

 could not be accurately ascertained. 



The mesenteries are fcAV in number, and are arranged in four cycles. 

 The six pairs of the first cycle are alone perfect, those of the second 

 and third cycles are gonophoric. while those (»f the fourth cycle are 



