BULLETIN OF THE 
Lizzia grata, A. Aa. 
Plate I. Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 
Sars * described, many years ago, a jelly-fish closely allied to L. grata, which 
he named Cyteis octopunctata. Forbes T refers to this jelly-fish of Sars a 
form from the coast of England, which he called Lizeia octopunctata. Lizana 
grata, first described from our waters by Mr. Agassiz, is closely allied to 
L. octopunctata, While in the figures which Forbes gives of L. octopunctata 
there are but two tentacles in each of the clusters midway on the bell rim be- 
tween the radial tubes, in the jelly-fish which I had there were three, as is 
represented (Plate 1. fig. 1). Forbes, however, in his descriptions, speaks of 
specimens in which there were three members in the cluster as well as two, 
mentioning it, however, as if rather after the nature of an abnormality. Three 
is the normal number found in well-developed animals, and none were taken 
in which it was exceeded, however far advanced the medusa had grown. The 
number of tentacles, however, from the ocellus of the radial tubes, as Mr. 
Agassiz figures is, in large specimens, five or six. Forbes, on the other hand, 
ays that in L. octopunctata only three tentacles arise from. the 'adial ocellus. 
(See Naked-eyed Medusæ, Plate XII. figs. 3 — 34) 
The adult and several of the younger stages of L. grata have been described 
in the * North American Acalephæ,” by Mr. Agassiz. The process of budding 
from the proboscis is mentioned by him in a paper before the Boston Society of 
Natural History, in 1862 (p. 100, Figs. 28, 29). 
Haeckel { has formed a new genus called Margellium for the reception 
of the Liszia octopunctata of Forbes and L. grata of A. Agassiz, and looks 
upon each as a separate species. In his diagnosis of Forbes's species, Haeckel 
makes no mention of the fact spoken of by Forbes, that the number of 
tentacles in the intermediate cluster is sometimes three. This is rather as- 
tonishing, as Haeckel considers the supposed inequality in the number of ten- 
tacles in different clusters a generic characteristic. Haeckel also suggests the 
genus Rathkea for Lizzia-like jelly-fishes, in which the number of tentacles in 
radial and intermediate clusters is equal. The young Liza resembles so 
closely the proposed genus that at least new characters must be pointed out 
gs i 
to distinguish the two. 
The Oceania Blumenbachti described by Rathke, and which suggested the 
new genus Rathkea, which Haeckel proposes, has eight clusters of tentacles with 
generally two members in each cluster. Rathke gives in his figure of 0. 
Blumenbachii eight chymiferous tubes, an interesting condition, of which I shall 
speak in considering a new genus which I have called Mabclla, Four of these 
tubes in Rathke’s medusa are regarded by Haeckel as foldings, the result of 
muscular action in the bell walls, 
* Wiegm. Arch. 1837, Part V. p. 406, and Fauna Littoralis Norwegis. 
t Naked-eyed Medusa. 
1 Das System der Medusen, Erster Band, p. 95. 
