PENNATULIDA. 



zur wissensch. Unters. deutsch. Meere f. d. J. 1872—73 (1875) p. 142). Koren & Danielssen, however, 

 found that these specimens complete!}- agreed with others, partly taken in the Skager Rak also (b)- 

 the Swedish gunboat < :Gunhild> ), partly in fjords of the Norwegian west coast (Kors Fjord, Vest Fjord), 

 which specimens they now made to represent a new species K. moebii (Nye Gorg. etc. p. 25) ; but at 

 the same time they thought they had found the genuine A*. Icuckartii in a specimen from Trond- 

 hjem Fjord (1. c. p. 28), where this Pennatnlid is said to be very common. Later, the same authors 

 described still another form as K. abyssontni from various Norwegian fjords, in some of which A', iiiochii 

 had been found. Thus we had no less than four Scandinavian species, of which oul)- one seemed 

 the same as that from the Mediterranean'). If we now examine the descriptions of these supposed 

 species we shall search in vain for characters that might be taken as specific; onl\- such differences 

 are mentioned as change with age and size; this holds good of. such features as the length of the 

 colouv, the number of polyps, the proportion between the length of the rhachis and of the peduncle, 

 the number of rows of polyp.s, the size of the polyps; also, the size and numbers of the spicules are 

 very varying; other specific characters;* arise from mere chance (e. g. a longitudinal furrow on the 

 rhachis or the like). As very characteristic examples of the value of the supposed specific characters, 

 the following may serve: in Kopli. abyssornm the stalk is almost twice the length of the rhachis; in 

 K. letickartii it is only a little longer than the rhachis; in K. uiocbii the stalk is generally half the 

 length of the rhachis — but in two very long specimens the stalk was relativeh' much longer, and 

 in young specimens it was as long as or even longer than the rhachis! I have carefully compared all 

 the t\-pe-specimens of these Scandinavian species, and I have not been able to keep them distinct; 

 further, I have examined the specimens of the Christiania Museum and a very large material of 

 KophobeleDinoti in our own, and finally I have had the opportunity of examining a very large number 

 of A'., partly collected in the deep channel of the Skager Rak by Dr. Joh. Petersen and Mag. A. C. Jo- 

 hansen, partly from different regions off Norway, taken by Dr. Hjort on the Michael Sars . In all 

 this large material I have only been able to see one single species; but of course it appears rather 

 different, if we compare extreme forms without any intermediate links: young colonies with giants 

 up to 750""" long; specimens with quite few and relatively small polyps with others provided with 

 ca. 150 large polyps with bodies of a length of ca. 20™'"; specimens with fulh- stretched pol^-ps with such 

 where the poh-ps are quite retracted (for even if the latter case is rather rare it does occiu-, and shows 

 accordingh- that the polyps are quite retractile); big and clums}- specimens with slender and thin 

 ones etc. All the K. hitherto found at Norway and in the Skager Rak are, beyond a doubt, the 

 same species as the A'. slrlliferii.m of O. F. Miiller, Asbjornsen, and KoUiker; and the different authors 

 liave also referred to this species all the specimens of K. taken at different localities in the Atlantic 

 b_\- the English expeditions of the «Lightning», the «Porcupine , the Triton , and the & Knight Errant*. 

 From the American side of the Atlantic, Verrill has established two species: K. scabrtcvi 

 (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. XI, p. 7, PI. I, fig. 5), and K. temic (Report Connn. Fish and Fisheres 1883, 

 p. 510, PI. Ill, fig. 5 (1885)). The former is short and clumsy, a young stage (56""" long) with few (8) 

 polyps, rough on account of its rich provision of spicules; from the description I must regard it as 



•) Panceri, however, had already in 1S71 found a A', at Naple.s which he had determined as A', stelliferum, but 

 which KolHker .supposed to be identical more probal)l\- with K. leuckartii (Monogr. p. 370). 



