BIGELOW: MEDUSAE FROM THE MALDIVE ISLANDS. 261 
This form seems quite distinct from all other species of Pegantha, to which 
genus it undoubtedly belongs. Its two striking peculiarities are the small 
number of tentacles, and the fact that the gonads are not subdivided. The 
smallest number of tentacles described from any species of the genus is fourteen, 
in Pegantha martagon (Haeckel, System, 1879). 
Aeginella dissonema Harcken. 
Haeckel, 1879, Syst. der Medusen, p. 340, taf. 20, fig. 16. 
We took one specimen of this Medusa in South Malosmadulu atoll, January 
15, surface. Drawings made from life agree perfectly with the figures given 
by Haeckel (System, taf. 20), and by Mayer (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zodl., vol. 
37, plate 14, fig. 30), except that our specimen was altogether colorless, instead 
of having green pigment spots on the stomach. The only other described 
species, Aeginella bitentaculata Quoy et Gaimard, seems to differ very slightly 
from Aeginella dissonema Haeckel. 
Il. SCYPHOMEDUSAE. 
Aurelia maldivensis, sp. nov. 
‘Plates 6 and 8, Figs. 22, 23, 27. 
This Medusa is by far the most aberrant species of Aurelia, to which genus 
I rather doubtfully refer it. The bell is disc-shaped, of very solid consistency, 
and rather thick ; it is about two hundred and fifty mm. in diameter, and 
slightly more than one third as high as broad. Its outline is broken by eight 
deep indentations, forming eight marginal lappets, each of which bears a slight 
central depression at its margin. At the base of each of the eight indentations 
lies a prominent sense organ (Plate 6, Fig. 23). In their proportions these 
sense organs differ considerably from those of Aurelia flavidula Pér. et Less., 
although they agree with them in general structure. They differ, however, 
in their connection with the stomach, which here consists of a single straight 
radial canal, which instead of opening into a broad circular cavity, connecting 
on either side of the sense organ with the ring canal, spreads but slightly, 
forming only a small cavity, which sends out two narrow branches, one on 
either side of the sense organ, to the ring canal. No other chymiferous 
vessels open into this enlarged cavity, except that it usually anastomoses with 
the neighboring radial canal on either side. This condition is, however, not 
constant. There are three short canals which arise from under the floor of 
the expanded cavity. One of these is broad, short, and runs to the otocyst ; 
the other two form a horseshoe, embracing the otocyst, and run into the two 
