64 



specimens of Forskalidae. But a slight touch against the glass in which they are swimming about, 

 immediately causes them to lose quantities of appendages, especially bracts and nectophores. After 

 some time more and more appendages detach themselves. On one occasion we have added to 

 the seawater a small quantit)' of fcirmaldehyd 4°/^ in one basin, of ale. 90°/^ in another. The 

 effect was instantaneous; the two complete Forskalia instantly dropped all their bracts and 

 nectophores, the greater part of the siphons, tentacles, palpons, gonophores followed and there 

 remained nothing at the bottom of the glass of these wonderful specimens of several centimeters 

 in length but a tiny, whitish structure. This consisted of the pneumatophore, a few buds of 

 nectophores and the entirely contracted stem with a few buds of appendages, the whole only 

 measuring a few mm. 



This taught us what we had to expect from the Siboga material as we knew that with 

 only a few exceptions all the Siphonophores were immediately put into alcohol or formaldehyd. 

 i^nd a great many Forskalidae only consisting of the appendages mentioned above were found; 

 they could not be determined. Some others had a few more appendages, they consisted ot 

 parts of better preserved specimens and again a few were just sufficiently well-preserved to be 

 compared with the Forskalidae described by former authors. 



We could identify two specimens with Forskalia coiitorta M. Edw. (Cat. 114 and Cat. 

 165 B.) one of which was sketched (PI. X, fig. 81). 



That it is a Forskalia is easily recognized b)- the several mature nectophores situated in 

 a spiral row around the stem and by the side branches of the stem, the pedicles of the siphons. 

 These are the two characteristics by which we identified these two specimens of Forskalia. 

 For the determination of the species we thought of Forskalia cojiforta as the shape of the 

 nectophores is absolutely the same as M. Edwards gave in his very clear work in 1841. The 

 characteristic given by Bedot of the absence of any pigment near the canals of the nectophore 

 unfortunately applied to all our Forskalidae, as they had probably lost all their pigment-spots 

 through the preserving fluids and not the least trace could be found of them. But there were 

 other differences in structure by which the other Forskalidae could be determined. 



The length of Cat. 114 (PI. X, fig. 81) is about 15 mm. measured from the top of the 

 most proximal nectophore to the aperture of one of the most distal siphons ; the greatest breadth 

 of the nectosome is 10 mm., the length of the nectosome or the place for the implantation of 

 the nectophores on the stem is 3 mm.; the distance of the youngest siphon and the eldest 

 siphon is about 10 mm. The pneumatophore (PI. X, fig. 81) is shapeless, it seems to be damaged 

 by preservation. 



The nectosome (PI. X, fig. 81) is very much contracted through preservation as there 

 are only seven mature nectophores left. These are well developed; the nectosac is especially 

 broad at its base, the two wings on each side well-developed. The aperture is broad too, nearly 

 one third of the whole breadth of the nectosac. 



The gelatinous substance never exceeds to any extent the outer wall of the nectosac; it 

 has no winglike expansions as is the case in Forskalia foriiiosa. At the base of the canal of 

 the nectosac are two curved blind branches of the same, which were also described by former 

 authors. The canals in the nectosac itself were clearly to be seen. 



