342 DESCRIPTION OF [Rotatoria. 



FAMILY XXVI. FLOSCULARIA 



Comprehends Rotatorial Animalcules enveloped in a 

 case, and provided with a single rotatory organ, flexuose 

 at the margin, and lobed or divided with from two to six 

 clefts ; when the latter number, it appears compound. The 

 cilii of this organ in some genera are quiescent, and only 

 vibratile occasionally. The alimentary canal has toothed 

 jaws, and generally a stomach ; the genus Lacinularia only 

 has coecal appendages to the latter, but in all of them oval 

 or semi-spherical pancreatic glands are seen. The repro- 

 ductive organs are, a short ovarium, in which only a few 

 ova are developed at a time, and in Lacinularia, Melicerta, 

 and perhaps in Floscularia and Stephanoceros, male glands; 

 in Lacinularia four transverse circular vessels, and a strong 

 vascular network at the base of the rotatory organ, are 

 seen; internal tremulous gill-like organs in Lacinularia 

 and Stephanoceros only ; eyes are distinct in all, except 

 Tubicolaria. In Lacinularia, Limnias, and Melicerta, brain 

 and masses of nervous matter are seen. Touching their 

 muscular structure, two pair of muscles seemingly contract 

 the body posteriorly; the rotatory organs of Lacinularia 

 and Melicerta have especial ones. The evolution of young 

 in the ovum takes place as in Hydatina. 



The family is disposed in genera, thus : 



Eyes absent Tubicolaria. 



One eye present (when young) Stephanoceros. 



f envelope of the single animal- "1 , . 

 ro.atory organ two-parted J CUleS di ' thlct or 8ellarated ' 



7 r : s r Whe " fU "- gr " n "** " , ^'-ni-'- } Lacinularia . 



(when \ - cu conglomerated J 



rotatory organ four-parted when full-grown Melicerta. 



I rotatory organ rive to six-parted when full-grown Floscularia. 



