1906.] ASCIDIAXS OP CAPE VERDE ISLAXD. 907 



quite regularly arranged, of elongated elliptical shape, and about 

 .as wide as the longitudinal vessels between them. 



The tentacles are 16 in number, 8 large and 8 small. 



The dorsal lamina is a plain narrow membrane. 



The doi'sal tubercle is a small cii-cular aperture. 



The alimentary canal is somewhat posterior to the branchial 

 sac, thus making two imperfectly defined regions to the animal. 

 The stomach is dilated and has from 4 to 5 longitudinal striations 

 on each side. 



Reproductive organs lie alongside the alimentary canal. 



Three small colonies were found at 3 fathoms depth. 



Herdman's specimens differ from the foregoing in minor parti- 

 culars only; the colony examined by him is larger and also irregular 

 in form, while the present examples are quite definite in shape. 

 The ascidiozooids of the Cape Verde specimens appear to be in 

 most cases larger than those of the type of the species. Lastly it 

 is of interest to note that Herdman's examples from the North 

 Atlantic occurred at 363 fathoms ; the Cape Verde specimens 

 were found in comparatively shallow water, viz. 3 fathoms. 



iSarcobotkylloides parvum, sp. n. (Plate LXV. figs. 16 & 17.) 



The colony consists of a number of lobed fieshy masses united to 

 a common trunk by short stalks (fig. 16). Ascidiozooids are 

 present throughout the whole investing test. The size of a 

 single lobe of the colony (fig. 17) is — length 12-5 mm., breadth 

 6 mm., and thickness 3 mm. The colour of the whole (spirit 

 specimen) is pale purple, translucent between the ascidiozooids 

 and around the margins. The ascidiozooids are brick-red in 

 colour, are very minute and lie in elongated double rows ; no 

 common cloacal ajDerture was seen. 



Dimensions of ascidiozooids ; — 



1. 



Length 1 '078 mm. 



Breadth 539mm. 



The test is firm ; it is penetrated by many bulbous vessels 

 which are of a reddish-purple colour like the zooids themselves. 

 The vascular bulbs are readily seen, relatively large, ovate, 

 rounded and spindle-shaped. Numerous corpuscles are present in 

 the bulbs. The branchial sac is large ; there are seven stigmata 

 in a dorso-ventral row. The dorsal lamina is a plain membrane. 

 The tentacles are about eight in number. 



The branchial and atrial apertures are near each other and are 

 almost terminal. 



The alimentary canal lies alongside and at the posterior end of 

 the branchial sac. The stomach has ten longitudinal folds. The 

 gonads lie on each side of the branchial sac. 



The material is badly preserved, and some points could not be 

 made out with certainty, e. g., the number of tentacles or the 

 characters of the dorsal tubercle. 



