1908.; 



Records of the Indian Muscmn. 



19 



The cah^x^ when the tentacles are stretched out, either stands 

 up vertically on the stem or is bent backwards so that its main 

 axis is at right angles to that of the stalk and the lophopore is 

 parallel or almost parallel to the stolon. When the animal is 

 disturbed the calyx bends forwards and the aboral shield is pre- 

 sented in the direction from which danger threatens. At the 

 same time slow writhing movements, which seldom cease altogether, 

 cause the stalk to curl into a loose spiral with a single whorl. There 

 is not, however, any nodding of the calyx such as takes place in 

 some Bntoprocta with deciduous calices. 



Affinities — 



In its mode of growth Loxosomatoides closely resembles Pedi- 

 cellina, from which the direction of the lophophore at once distin- 

 guishes it ; Loxosoma it only resembles in this one particular. 

 The polypides bear a very close resemblance to young polypides 



Fig. 7. 



of the freshwater North American genus Uriiatella ^ in which the 

 stalk has not yet l^ecome segmented ; this is particularly the case 

 as regards the lophophore and the sphincter muscle. Probably, 

 however, the closest affinities are with Myosoma,^ in which an 

 aboral shield is developed but extends down the aboral surface of 

 the stalk. This genus, as its name is intended to indicate, is dis- 

 tinguished by the possession of definite muscles in the calyx, a 

 character which I have been unable to detect in Loxosomatoides. 

 The aboral shield of the new genus and of Myosoma is possibly 

 homologous with the zooecium of the Ectoprocta, but a study of 

 its development would be necessary before it would be possible to 

 make a definite statement on this point. 



t Leidy, Journ. Arad. Na'. Set. Philadelphia, ix (2), p. 5, pi. i, fig. 5, 1884. 

 2 Robertson, " Studies in Pacific Coast Entoprocta," Pi-<'c. California Acad. 

 Sci., ii (3), p. 324, 1900. 



