Actinaria G 95 



are often whitish or pink, while the wrinkles and grooves between them are 

 dark brown or mud-colour; the submarginal zone, which is 15 to 20 mm. or 

 more broad in the larger examples, is bright red, orange-brown, or chocolate- 

 brown; the colour is often in stripes of darker and lighter tints. The tentacles 

 are usually dark pink, salmon, orange or orange-brown, varying to dull red 

 and chocolate-brown. Disk usually orange or reddish brown, or chocolate, 

 with lighter and darker radii. 



Specimens from stony bottoms have the base broad and firmly adherent 

 to pebbles, shells, etc. On fine sandy and muddy bottoms in deep water the 

 base usually becomes bulbous and swollen, enclosing and nearly surrounding 

 a large mass of sand or mud; in these situations the basal part of the column is 

 evidently buried in the materials of the bottom and as the base has only a small 

 opening to its large cavity it is unable to withdraw itself from the enclosed mass 

 of dirt, of which there is often several ounces in each of the large actinians, and 

 there may be a hundred or more of these in a single haul of the trawl. 1 The 

 haul gave excellent samples of the bottom deposits unaltered by washing out. 



This species, like several others, also has the habit of attaching itself to 

 the dead stems of gorgonians, to stems of large hydroids, to sponges (Cladorhiza 

 grandis), and especially to the large quill-like tubes of the large annelid, Hyalin- 

 cecia artifex Ver., which is often very abundant on the same muddy bottoms- 

 where this actinian abounds. Such examples, as they grow larger, fold the basal 

 disk around the supporting stem or tube until the two edges meet and then 

 firmly unite together, by a suture, so that the stem seems to go through the base 

 itself. 



These three forms of the base occur in specimens that are otherwise similar, 

 and also in several varieties based on the tuberculation of the surface. Speci- 

 mens having flat and others with bulbous bases often occur in the same haul 

 and some have been taken that are intermediate, having one edge of the base 

 attached to a small shell or pebble, while the rest of it enclosed mud. 



This species grows to a large size. Examples were often taken that were 

 80 to 100 mm. (4 inches) in diameter, and 100 to 150 mm. (6 inches) high. 

 Ordinary adult specimens are 50 to 75 mm. broad, and 80 to 100 mm. high, 

 with the larger tentacles about 15 to 20 mm. long. 



It has been taken by the U.S. Fish Commission at a large number of stations 

 on the Gulf Stream slope, off Martha's Vineyard, Nan tucket, and Long Island, 

 and off Chesapeake bay, during 1880, to 1886, in 86 to 1,098 fathoms. In this 

 region it is often very abundant and of large size. The smaller ones here mostly 

 occur clasping the large tubes of Hyalincecia ; the large ones in the deeper localities 

 generally enclose a ball of fine sand or mud in the bulbous base. 



Actinauge rugosa. New species. 



Urticina nodosa (Fabr.) VERRILL, Amer. Journ. Science, Vol. VI, p. 440; vol. 

 VII, p. 413, pi. VII, fig. 7, 1874 (non FABRICIUS sp.), Proc. Amer. Assoc. 

 Adv. Science, Vol. for 1873, p. 349, 1874, (Exploration of Casco Bay). 

 Not Actinauge nodosa VERRILL, of 1882-3. SMITH and HARGER, Trans. 

 Conn. Acad. Science, Vol. Ill, pp. 11, 54, 1874. 



Plate XIX; Figs. 2 & 3. [Plate XXIV; Fig. 2. Plate XXVII; Fig. 1. 



Text Fig. 14. 



Column mostly rather rigid with a thick and firm cortex, with some adherent 

 epidermis; generally nearly cylindrical with a somewhat expanded base; upper 

 part or capitulum defined by a transverse row of about twelve larger or more 



1 At some localities in deep water, off the northeastern United States coast, at least a barrel full or 

 hundreds of large actinians were brought up in a single haul of the trawl. This species made up the greater 

 part of such lots. 



