BROWNE— MEDUSA PROM THE INDIAN OCEAN 1V5 



have been welcomed. The stomach is very much swollen out with food and it almost fills 

 up the whole of the cavity of the umbrella. It is evidently a young stage as I cannot 

 detect gonads upon the stomach, which has fairly transparent walls. The stomach 

 occupies the whole of the top of the cavity of the umbrella and even extends above 

 it, as the radial canals leave the stomach laterally. The radial canals and circular 

 canal have a very cellular appearance and look as if composed of a solid chord of very 

 large cells. The solitary tentacle has a large sac-like basal bulb with rather thin walls, 

 covered with large flat ectoderm cells and practically free from nematocysts. The tentacle 

 itself is contracted and coiled up. It has three lateral clusters of nematocysts projecting 

 from the tentacle and a large globular terminal cluster. The lateral clusters are 

 globular and vary in size ; the smallest at the top and the largest at the bottom. 

 Owing to the coiling of the tentacle their exact position on the tentacle is doubtful. 



In the three perradii without tentacles there are only small bulbs projecting from the 

 margin. They are solid in appearance, covered with nematocysts, and show no signs of 

 developing tentacles. It is not easy to trace out completely the tracks of nematocysts 

 Upon the ex-umbrella. There are clear indications of twelve longitudinal tracks running 

 right up to the apex of the umbrella and some of these tracks unite near the apex. The 

 main tracks have also short latei'al branches which join on to branches from adjacent tracks 

 and form a kind of network on the lower part of the umbrella. There are no signs of any 

 ocelli on the marginal bulbs or tentacle. 



The characters selected for distinguishing the species are the shape and structure of 

 the tentacle and the numerous tracks of nematocysts upon the ex-umbrella. 



This new species is named after my friend and neighbour the Reverend Canon 

 A. M. Norman, whose name is well known to all marine zoologists. 



Euphysora valdivice, which Vanhoffen (1911) described as a new species from a 

 single specimen taken near Siberut Island off" the west coast of Sumatra (west of Padang), 

 has certain characters in common with Steenstrupia normani. Both species have similar 

 tracks of nematocysts upon the ex-umbrella ; the same type of large stomach, and large 

 radial and circular canals. The principal tentacle of Euphysora valdivice has lateral 

 branches, and is evenly covered with nematocysts without any arrangement of rings or 

 knobs. In addition to the principal tentacle there are three other smaller tentacles 

 without branches. 



As Steenstrupia normani is not half the size of Euphysora valdivice and is at 

 an immature stage, one has to consider the question of Steenstrupia normani being an 

 early stage of Euphysora valdivice. There is no evidence that three marginal bulbs 

 of Steenstrupia normani will develop tentacles, though there is a possibility of their 

 doing so. The principal tentacle of Steenstrupia normani has very conspicuous globular 

 clusters of nematocysts. These clustei-s project from the tentacle, but they do not appear 

 to be upon stalks or lateral branches. But if such stalks or lateral branches were strongly 

 contracted, then possibly the clusters would come alongside the tentacle. Vanhoffen 

 states that the principal tentacle of Euphysora valdivice is without knobs or rings 

 of nematocysts and his figures do not show them. Their absence is in favour of 

 Steenstrupia normani being a distinct species. 



