1897. J MR. E. T. BROWNE 05 BEITISH MEDUa.E. 833 



Aglantha eosea (Forbes). (Plate XLIX. figs. 1, 1 a, 1 b.) 



Circe rosea, Forbes (1848) ; M'Intosh (1890) ; Crawford (1891). 

 Aglantha digitalis, Hartlaub (1894). 



Towards the end of April and during May 1895, I found in 

 Valencia Harbour about a dozen specimens of an Aglantha with 

 eight marginal vesicles. 



The specimens agreed fairly well with the description given by 

 Forbes of Circe rosea, but Forbes has omitted, as usual, the marginal 

 vesicles iu the description. During my second visit to Valencia 

 in 1896 I again met with examples of the same species. 



Haeckel has placed Circe rosea, Forbes, as a synonym of Aglantha 

 digitalis, a species first briefly described by Miiller (1766) under 

 the name of Medusa digitale. Haeckel has again described the 

 epecies and has stated clearly that there are always four marginal 

 vesicles (" Horkolbcheu ") present. The umbrella is 30-40 mm. 

 in length and 10-20 mm. in width. 



Maas (1893) has also described Aglantha digitalis, taken by the 

 German Plankton-Expedition, with four marginal vesicles. 



Hartlaub found in 1894, off Heligoland, specimens of a small 

 Aglantha with eight marginal vesicles, which he briefly describes 

 under the name of Aglantha digitalis (Miiller), and gives Circe 

 rosea, Forbes, as a synonym. 



I do not think that these small medusae, about 12-14 mm. in 

 length, with gonads and with eight marginal vesicles, are the 

 young forms of the large medusa with four marginal vesicles 

 described by Haeckel as Aglantha digitalis. I believe there are 

 tvfo distinct species, and that Forbes's description corresponds to 

 the smaller one with eight marginal vesicles. I think that the 

 name Aglantha rosea (Forbes) ought to be retained for the forms 

 with eight marginal vesicles, and Aglantha digitalis for the forms 

 with four vesicles. 



Notes on Specimens taken at Valencia. 



The smallest specimen was taken (m 22nd July, 1896, about 

 1| mm. in length and nearly as wide. It had four marginal 

 vesicles, the only specimen seen with four vesicles, and the ten- 

 tacles, contracted, were of a bright red colour. The other specimens 

 measured from 5 to 11 mm. in length, and all possessed eight 

 marginal vesicles. The gonads in most of the specimens were just 

 making their appearance and none exceeded 2 mm. in length ; all 

 were immature. Several of the specimens possessed tentacles of 

 a reddish colour, and in some the stomach and the lips of the 

 mouth were of a pinkish colour ; but most specimens were quite 

 colourless. The tentacles varied in number according to the size 

 of the umbrella, about 60-80 present in the largest specimens. 

 The description of a specimen taken on 22nd May, 1895 : — 

 Umbrella cylindrical with a cone-shaped summit, 11 mm. long 

 and 5 mm. wide. The manubrium reaches down nearly to the 

 velum, and a slight constriction marks the boundary between the 



