678 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



1897. Only two specimens taken in July. One seen in October 



and a few in I^ovember. 



1898. It was taken from September 3rd to November 19tb, 



and was very abundant dui'ing October. The necto- 

 calyx of tbe largest specimens measui'ed about 7 mm. 

 in length. Medusoid gonophores bearing either ova 

 or spermatozoa were common in October. 



There is not sufficient evidence at present to show that this 

 Siphonophore is a regular member of our southern fauna ; it 

 may be only a frequent visitor. Since it was first described by 

 Cunningham, in 1892, it has been recorded almost yearly for 

 the Plymouth district, where it has at times occurred in shoals. 

 During the same period it has been frequently found in Fal- 

 mouth Harbour- by Vallentin. 



Bourne (1890) probably took this species off the south-west 

 coast of Ireland in 1889, but has recorded it under the name of 

 M. Kochii. 



Cupulita Sarsii, Haeckel. 



Agahnopsis elegans, 8axs (partim), 1846, "Fauna Littoralis Nor- 



vegise," Part I., p. 32, pi. vi. 

 Ciipuliia sarsii, Haeckel, 1888, Siphonophora, " Challenger " 



Report, p. 234. 



Haeckel, in the Report on the Siphonophora of the " Chal- 

 lenger " Expedition, has separated the original Agahnopsis 

 elegans of Sars into two species. One form has retained its 

 original name ; the other has been transferred to the genus 

 Cupulita, and given the new specific name of sarsii. 



There are three genera very closely related, and distinguished 

 principally by the shape of the tentilla. 



Salistemtna. Tentilla with a naked cnidoband and a simple ter- 

 minal filament. 



Cupidita. Tentilla with an involucrate cnidoband and a simple 

 terminal filament. 



Agalmopsis. Tentilla tricomuate, with a terminal ampulla and 

 two-paired horns. 



Sars has figured three kinds of tentilla for Agalmopsis ele- 

 gans: — tricornuate (Plate v., figs. 7, 8); involucrate (Plate v., 

 figs. 5, 6) ; and an oval form without a spiral cnidoband 

 (Plate vi., fig. 10). 



