Browne — Fauna and Flora of Valencia Harbour, Ireland. 729 



Gossea circinata, Haeckel. 



Gossea circinata, Haeckel, 1879, p. 252, pi. xviii. 



To the numerous tow-nettings taken by the Misses Delap we 

 are indebted for the addition of this very rare Medusa to the 

 Yalencia fauna. It was first taken on October 24th, 1898, 

 when two specimens were secured and sent to me for identifica- 

 tion. On October 29th nine, and on ISTovember 9th twelve 

 specimens were taken, and many seen too deep down to be 

 captured. All these specimens, well preserved in formalin, 

 were sent to me for examination ; but before giving an account 

 of them, it will be well to state briefly what has already been 

 published on the genus. 



According to Haeckel, the genus Gossea contains only two 

 species — G. corynetes of Gosse, and G. circinata of Haeckel — 

 and neither of these species has been recorded since its first 

 discovery. Gosse found his specimens at Ilfracombe (Devon- 

 shire) in September and October, 1852. He has given a 

 good description of the species, with coloured figures, in 

 his well-known book, " A Naturalist's Rambles on the 

 Devonshire Coast." Gosse placed his new species tempor- 

 arily in the genus Tliaumantias, which in those clays contained 

 a miscellaneous group of species now dispersed among many 

 genera. 



Louis Agassiz (1862), having recognised its true position, 

 made for it a new genus, Gossea, named after its discoverer. I 

 have two reasons for waiting on Gosse's species ; first, because 

 it may ultimately be proved to be an early stage of G. circinata ; 

 and, secondly, because Haeckel has changed Gosse's description 

 of the species to such an extent that he makes really another 

 species of it. 



Gosse described the Medusa with twenty-four tentacles, "ar- 

 ranged in eight bundles of three each, at the points of junction of 

 the four radiating vessels, and midway between them. One in 

 each group is minute and rudimentary." In notes on some 

 more specimens, taken a few weeks later, Gosse states : — " The 

 subsidiary tentacle in each group of three was less dispropor- 

 tionately small in these specimens." "With the exception of 

 the grouping of the tentacles G. corynetes agrees fairly well 

 with the description of G. circinata, so that there is need to 

 "ive a further account from Gosse. 



