Mr, P. H. Gosse on new or little-known Marine Animals. 157 



Class ZOOPHYTA. 



Fam. AcTiNiAD^. 



Genus Scolanthus (mihi). The "Worm- Anemone. 



Body cylindrical, lengthened, vermiform, invertile, incapable 

 of attachment ; posterior extremity rounded, perforate ; anterior 

 discoid, surrounded by a marginal series of slender tentacles. 

 Name from a-KooXr]^, a worm, and av6o<;, a flower. 



Scolanthus callimorpkus (mihi). The Yellow Worm-Anemone. 



When contracted this animal is about three-fourths of an inch 

 long, and one-third of an inch in diameter, covered with a cori- 

 aceous, minutely corrugated skin, of a deep orange-yellow colour. 

 (See PI. X. fig. a.) In this state it bears a strong resemblance to 

 a Holothuria, which indeed for some time I supposed it to be. On 

 being placed in a glass vase of sea-water w^th a layer of gravel 

 at the bottom, it speedily burrowed out of sight. The next 

 morning, however, I perceived it greatly changed, being fully 

 expanded. It had fortunately selected a site in contact with the 

 side of the glass, so that I could see the whole length of the ani- 

 mal through the transparent medium. 



When fully protruded it extends to about 2^ inches, with a 

 shght diminution of the former diameter. (See fig. b.) The ante- 

 rior extremity for about one-third of an inch forms a sort of fluted 

 column, a little less in thickness than the rest of the body, from 

 which it is abruptly separated. The flutings, eight in number 

 at the base, but divided into sixteen at the summit, are of a rich 

 sienna-brown hue, varied irregularly with black and white, each 

 bearing a conspicuous lozenge-shaped spot of cream-white at the 

 base, and terminated by a white tip. The effect of these co- 

 lours is bizarre, and much resembles those mosaics of coloured 

 woods well known as Tunbridge-ware. (See fig. c.) 



The extremity of the coloured column is truncate, forming a 

 transverse disk, in the centre of which is a small, ovate, conical 

 mouth, agreeing in structure with that of the Actinia generally. 

 The surface of the disk is white, marked with a series of pointed 

 arches in form of a star of deep sienna-brown ; the regularity and 

 beauty of which figure, resembling the forms of the kaleidoscope, 

 so struck my imagination as to suggest the specific name, from 

 /ca\o9, beautiful, and fiop(f)T), form. From each angle of the 

 mouth a broad band of blackish browTi crosses the disk, inter- 

 rupting the star at opposite points. (See fig. d.) 



Sixteen depressed radiating lines on the disk mark the out- 

 lines of the basal portion of so many tentacles, which become free 

 only at the edge of the disk. They are long, slender, and of 



