SUPPLEMENT. 



PLOSCULAEIAD/E. 



Floscularia Millsii, EelUcott (180), (PI. XXXII. fig. 1). 



SP. CH. Lobes five; of very great length; extremely slender, twig-like, witJioid 

 knobs ; fringed with two opposite rows of cilia, not in lohorls. 



This elegant and very curious creature was found, by Dr. Kellicott, in Black Creek, 

 Ontario, U. S., on Utricidaria vulgaris, in 1885. A description of a very similar 

 Rotiferon was sent to me, in 1880, by Mr. Thomas Whitelegge of Sidney, N. S. W. 



Dr. Kellicott says : " The dehcate, sub-cylindrical, gelatinous sheaths, of F. Millsii, 

 are frequently found occupying the fork made by branch or leaf; however, they are 

 often found without this protection ; the animal is usually solitary, but sometimes occurs 

 in small groups of three or more. The peduncle is short, as in most Floscules ; the 

 posterior, attenuate, muscular part [foot] is relatively long, and termuiates rather 

 abruptly in the short, broadly ovate body. The capacious, hyaline mouth -funnel is but 

 little broader at its free edge than below ; the free border is set a very little obliquely. 

 The rim of this bowl bears five extremely long, flexible, tentacle-like, trochal lobes, 

 which are without the least knob-like enlargement at their extremities. These organs 

 are very similar to those of Stcphanoceros Eichhornii, except in the character and distri- 

 bution of the cilia ; in fact they are quite suggestive of the long, flexible tentacles of a 

 polyzoon. The cilia on the lobes are distributed throughout the entire length, fine, 

 longer towards the extremities, those at the ends nearly half as long as the lobes ; 

 they are arranged on the lateral borders of the tentacles, and stand straight out, almost 

 reaching those of the adjacent lobes. When the long lobes are being pushed out of tlie 

 sheath, they are held close together in a bundle ; the very long cilia are then shaken 

 out, as it appears, and a shimmer runs over them, very much like that seen on the long 

 arms of F. coronetta and F. cornuta, when they are unfolded. 



"It is not a sensitive species, and very i-eadily displays its ciliary crown. The usual 

 procession of Infusoria may be seen steadily moving down its throat, nor does it reject 

 Alga3 that may be drawn into the vortex. One, two, and sometimes three eggs may be 

 seen in the tube at a time. I have not yet had an opportunity to observe them until 

 they are hatched. This I very much regret, for it would imdoubtedly shed light upon 

 its generic affinities, and determine whether it is a Floscidaria or a Stephanoceros," 



The dimensions of a large individual are as follows : length from foot disc to body 

 5V inch ; of body -p}^ ; of lobes ^'j- inch ; total length to top of extended lobes yV incli, 

 but sometimes not exceeding ^ij inch. 



Mr. Whitelegge describes his Piotiferon as so much resembling a Stcphanoceros, that 

 at first he thought that it was one. The differences between the two were, however, 

 great. "The structure of the foot was new to me ; it ended in a short immobile stalk, 

 which is not affected when the animal retracts or extends ; neither does it alter if the 

 Rotiferon is detached. There are three ring-like protuberances at the end of the foot, 

 just above the stalk, which generally remain unaltered when the animal extends itself. 



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