the ActiniaridH Famxh/ Aliciidui. 3 



Alicia mirahilis, J. Y. Johnson. 



Alicia mirabili.^, Johnson, 1801, p. .'503; 1802, p. 182. 

 Cladactis mirabilis, Andres, 1883, p. 443. 



Form*. — Base very broad and usually adherent, ca])able 

 of changing its ])Ositiou and of beeoniiiig free and floating 

 upwardly at the surface of the water, may undergo great 

 dilatation, undulate, nuich larger in diameter than the 

 column, thin-walled and transparent, mesenterial lines form 

 ridges and furrows, margin deeply crenate. 



Column erect, somewliat cylindrical, enlarging above and 

 below ; beset, except towards the apex, with simple or 

 branched pedunculated vesicular outgrowths of the coelenteron, 

 which, in contraction, entirely hide the column-wall, but in 

 extension allow it to be seen; column-wall thin, pellucid, 

 marked with slight longitudinal furrows corresponding with 

 those on the base. Vesicles small proximally, nearly sessile, 

 bear at their summit a single thickening or wart of hemi- 

 spherical outline ; become larger above, may have stalks 

 half an inch high and three-tenths of an inch in diameter, 

 which divide and redivide very closely into as many as sixty 

 parts, each crowned with a wart ; the appearance of the 

 vesicles when half contracted bears some resemblance to a 

 head of cauliflower or to a strawberry ; capable of consider- 

 able contraction and inflation, but non-adherent. 



Tentacles simple, entacmgeous, numerous, subulate, elon- 

 gate, rather slender, thin-walled, transparent, filamentous at 

 apex, often coiled and overhanging, completely but not readily 

 retractile, arranged in three (or four) rows near the margin of 

 the disk, beset with minute urticating areas. 



Disk slightly depressed or may be inflated, not larger than 

 the diameter of the column, pellucid ; twelve radiating 

 furrows correspond with the six pairs of perfect mesenteries. 



Mouth large ; lips usually distended and divided by deep 

 furrows into six longitudinal ribs on each side; no gonidial 

 grooves distinguishable. 



Colour. — Base uniformly pale brown or impure white; 

 column very pale brown ; peduncle of the vesicles mostly 

 opaque white, but may be orange or a pale chestnut ; warts 

 on small appendages a dull purple or grey surrounded by a 

 ring of white ; apex sometimes divided by a white line into 

 two grey areas or by cross-lines into four areas ; disk pale 



* The description of the external characters is founded upon those 

 originally published by Mr. Johnson and upon notes accompanying- his 

 later specimen. 



