Actinaria G 103 



The stomodseum is large and long. It has five deep lateral sulci, and 

 four large intervening wrinkled lobes on each side. Siphonoglyphs are large 

 and deep. No cinclidae were found. 



The description above was made mostly from a medium sized specimen 

 from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in 112 fathoms (Coll. J. F. Whiteaves). It 

 grows to much larger sizes. Some specimens are about 100 mm. (4 inches) 

 high and 45 to 50 mm. in diameter. In contraction, tubercles are often 5 to 8 

 mm. in diameter, or more. None of the specimens taken alive would expand. 



It is only known from rather deep water. Many specimens have been 

 taken on the fishing Banks off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia by the Glou- 

 cester, Mass., fishermen and presented to the U.S. Fish Commission in 1878 to 

 1881. 



The Gloucester, Mass., fishermen brought it in from a number of localities 

 on all the fishing banks, from Georges to the Grand bank, in 30 to 300 fathoms. 

 It is particularly common on the stony bottoms of Le Have bank, Western 

 bank, and Banquereau, off Nova Scotia. It was also dredged by the U.S. 

 Fish Commission off Nova Scotia and in the Gulf of Maine. 



I formerly (1883) classed this as a doubtful variety of A. nodosa, but it 

 appears to be a distinct species. According to the classification of Haddon 

 (op. cit., 1889) it belongs to Chondr actinia, for it lacks the ribbed or crested 

 capitulum and the tentacular lobes found in Actinauge. It seems to be rather 

 closely related to C. nodosa of Greenland, as determined by Haddon; but its 

 verrucse are larger, fewer, and not in such regular rows. Danielssen's Actinauge 

 nodosa, as figured by him, is much more like this species, and belongs to the same 

 genus, for Danielssen states that the capitulum is smooth, without ribs. Very 

 likely it may be the same species. 



The original description of Actinia nodosa, from deep water off Greenland, 

 was very brief and imperfect. It would apply equally well to any of these large 

 verrucose species. Probably several species occur there, as on our fishing Banks, 

 and very likely he considered them all the same species. As Haddon's specimen 

 came from Greenland, it may be the correct one. 



Family URTICINID^E. New Name. 



Bunodidce GOSSE, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 3, vol. 1, p. 417, 1858; Actin. 



Brit., p. 183, 1860. VERRILL, Revision Polyps, p. 15, 1864. 

 Tealiadce R. HERTWIG, op. cit., 1882. 



Bunodactidce VERRILL, op. cit., 1899. % 



Cribrinidce McMuRRicn, op. cit., 1902, p. 590. 



Actinians with a large, circumscribed, endodermal sphincter muscle; num- 

 erous (12 or more pairs) of perfect mesenteries, mostly fertile, often sterile, some- 

 times in part. No acontia. Tentacles retractile. Column usually has adhesive 

 suckers or verrucae. Many species are viviparous. 



Urticina (Ehrenberg, restricted, 1869). 



Urticina EHRENBERG, Coral. Roth. Meeres, p. 33 (as sub-gemus), 1834. Type ; 



U. crassicornis. 

 Rhodactinia L. AGASSIZ, Revue Zoolog. Soc. Cuvier, p. 394, 1847. VERRILL, 



Revision Polyps E. Coast U.S., p. 18, 1864. CARLGREN, Olga Exped. 



Actin., p. 79, 1902. CLUBB, Antarctic Exped., Vol. IV, p. 9, 1908. 

 Tealia GOSSE, op. cit., p. 417, 1858; Actinologia Brit., p. 205, 1860. Also of 



many other later authors. 



