THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA. 117 



ATHORYBIA CALIFORNICA sp. nov. 



(PLATE II, FIGS. 1,2.) 



The beautiful Physophore, Athorybia, has never been 

 recorded from our Pacific coasts. The number of localities 

 ill which this animal has been found is very limited. It oc- 

 curs in the Mediterranean, and has been described by sev- 

 eral observers from Villa Franca, Naples and Messina. A 

 species is also described from the Indian Ocean. In 1883, 

 I found a new Athorybia, A. formosa, at Dry Tortugas, 

 Florida. A large Athorybia is known from the Canary 

 Islands. Other Anthophysidte are described by Haeckel. 

 While crossing the Santa Barbara channel, from Santa 

 Barbara to the island of Santa Cruz, anew Athorybia was 

 taken in the drag net. 1 This Athorybia is an interesting 

 one and its discovery important as being the first obser- 

 vation of this genus in the eastern Pacific. 2 



Athorybia differs from other Physophores, except Phys- 

 alia, in the absence of an axis or stem. There are no necto- 

 calyces and their function is performed by the hydrophyllia. 

 The float is large and conspicuous, standing upright as the 

 animal floats in the water. It consists of a pneumatocyst and 

 pneumatophore, forming two separate globular sacs, one in- 

 side the other, both fastened at the upper pole, where there 

 is an external opening in both. The contents of the pneu- 

 matophore is air or gas. The color of the float is a delicate 

 pink, with a dark red pigment zone on the upper pole about 

 the opening. At the base of the float there arises a circle 



1 It is a circumstance worthy of mention that this Athorybia, like many other 

 medusae described in this paper, was found in the vicinity of what is known to 

 fishermen on the Santa Barbara Channel as the " Submarine Oil Well." Near the 

 middle of the channel petroleum is always found floating on the surface of the sea. 

 This is supposed to be derived from the upturned beds of asphaltum under the 

 water. Whether the source of this oil supply is submarine or not, many of my best 

 medusas were found in close proximity to the floating oil. 



2 Withthe exception of Physalia, Velellaand Porpita, no other Physophores have 

 been recorded from our Californian coast. A fragment of Porpita and one or two 

 mutilated specimens were observed near the island of Santa Cruz in my trip across 

 the Santa Barbara channel. I was, however, unable to identify the species to which 

 these specimens probably belong. 



