362 



HYDROID^. 



Part IV. 



llth Family. Geryonopsid.e .l^a-ss. — Geryonidte Esch. (p. p.). 

 Eirene Esch} — Geryonopsis Forbes. — Phortis IlcCr.t 



E. viridula Esch. — Oceama viridula Per. and ZeS. — Geryonopsis 

 delicatula Forbes. — Thaumantias cymbaloidea Forbes (on PI. 0, 

 fig. 1). — Brifish Channel (Peron and LeSueur) ; Coasts of Dor- 

 set and Devon (Forbes). 



E. coerulea Ag? — Florida: Key West (Agassiz). 



Phortis gibbosa IlcCr. — Charleston, South Carolina (McCrady) — 

 belongs either to this or the following genus. 

 Tim a Esch. — Eirene Esch. (p. p.). — Diana?a DelleCh. 



T. flavilabris Esch., PI. 8, fig. 3. — Atlantic Ocean: Azores (Eschscholtz). 



T. gibbosa A(/.^ — Oceania gibbosa Per. and LcS. — Eirene gibbosa 

 FscL — BmniMii lucullana Delle-Ck, PI. 74, fig. 1. — Geryonia 

 pellucida Will., PI. 2, fig. 8. — Geryonopsis pellucida Forbes.— 

 Tima pellucida Gee/enb. — Nice (P^ron and LeSueur); Naples 

 (Delle-Chiaje) ; 3Icssina (Gegenbaur). 



T. Bairdii Forbes, PI. 5, fig. 1. — St. Andrews, Scotland (Forbes). 



T. formosa Ag.^ — 3Iassachusetts Bay (Agassiz). 



^ The genus Eirene, as characterized by Esch- 

 scholtz, contains species of three distinct genera ; 

 all of which, however, belong to the same family. 

 Instead of rejecting it altogether, as most writers 

 have done, I have here limited it to the type first 

 described by Peron and LeSueur. 



"^ Eirene coerulea Ag. Spherosorae hemispheri- 

 cal ; proboscis tapering rapidly, not extending to the 

 level of the veil. Lips of actinostonie short ; ova- 

 ries commencing some way from the circular tube, 

 and extending to the digestive cavity. From thirty 

 to thirty-five short tentacles between every two 

 chymiferous tubes. Diameter across the circular 

 tube one and a quarter inches, height of sphero- 

 some one inch, base of proboscis half an inch above 

 the veil. Of a light steel-blue color. — Keij West, 

 Florida, April (Agassiz). 



' AVe have here a species, accurately described 

 by the first naturalists who have most extensively 

 known the Acalephs, redescribed twice, as new, by 

 later observers, and referred to not less than six 

 genera. This does not speak well for the criticism 

 bestowed upon the nomenclature of these animals. 



Eschscholtz, himself, has overlooked its generic 

 identity with Tima, though he himself first charac- 

 terized the latter genus. 



* Tima formosa Aff. Spherosome greater than 

 a hemisphere, with actinal edges slightly receding 

 from the axis near the circular tube. Proboscis 

 broad, tapering very gradually, and reaching slightly 

 beyond the level of the veil; ovaries convoluted, 

 extending from the circular tube along the whole 

 length of the chymiferous tubes nearly to the digestive 

 cavity, which is short. Actinostonie surrounded by 

 four long, lanceolatel ips, with exceedingly fine frills, 

 colorless. Veil heavy, with small opening. Diameter 

 across the circular tube two and a half inches ; 

 height of spherosome two inches ; distance from 

 circular tube to base of proboscis, one inch and a 

 quarter. In specimens of this size there are seven 

 large tentacles between every two chymiferous tubes, 

 and one opposite ; between every two large tentacles, 

 five small rudimentary tentacles, and from four to 

 six marginal corpuscles, with eight to nine granules 

 arranged in a circle in each. — MassacIiuseUs Bay, 

 March to May (Agassiz). 



