36 CTENOPHORES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA 
Florida form. I here give the dimensions of a small specimen from 
Naples, because it corresponds more nearly in size to those found at 
Tortugas. 
Leucothea 
multicornis 
from Naples, 
Leucothea ochracea 
from Tortugas. 
Potal lengths i2 oy wes ewor aries ob ocean Seas 96 88 
Width of body above oral lobes in tentacular diam- 
Ch SOO eee eee eee re 20 26 
Width of body above oral lobes in sagittal diameter 33 41 
Width across expanded lobes.............00 0000s IIo 85 not fully 
: expanded. 
Length of auricles (approximate)..............05. 40 staneve 
Length of stomodeum........... cee ee eee eens 44 Sate 
Depth of sense-organ Cleft.........eesee eee eeee ee 10 16 
Length of body from aboral apex to mouth....... 58 72 
ngth from aboral apex to origin of oral lobes.... 39 45 
General Colo tis sts cje:ccaierara/acaredaleere A evayasalods oiaveverang rile, Transparent with 4/| Dull translucent 
yellow spots upon| brownish without 
oral lobes. yellow spots on 
oral lobes. 
It is somewhat surprising to find these marked differences between 
the Mediterranean and the Tortugas forms of Leucothea, for it has long 
been known that the Mediterranean form is widely spread over the warm 
parts of the Eastern Atlantic and has been recorded from the Canaries, 
Azores, and South Equatorial Stream. Fewkes, 1882, observed the 
Florida Leucothea and states that it is more transparent than the Medi- 
terranean form. This statement is true if we except the 4 opaque yellow 
spots in the gelatinous substance of its oral lobes, which in so far as I 
have observed appear always to be present. 
The Florida species is not common and comes to the surface in num- 
bers only when the ocean is unrippled after days of calm. The least 
ibreeze suffices to produce sufficient rippling to cause it to sink into the 
depths. In this habit it resembles Leucothea grandtformis of the Fiji 
Islands. The Fijian form is, however, anatomically speaking, more 
nearly allied to the Mediterranean species. It is remarkable that the 
Mediterranean Leucothea appears to be far less troubled by waves and 
is often found quite near the surface in fairly rough weather. The ex- 
treme tenuity of this Florida ctenophore is remarkable, for even a gentle 
current suffices to tear it apart. I have seen it only in spring and summer 
at Tortugas. 
But little stress should be laid upon the presence of the 4 yellow 
areas upon the lobes of the Tortugas Leucothea and we may neglect it 
as a specific character; for it is possible that this yellow coloration may 
be due to commensal plant-cells. Unfortunately since this point occurred 
to me I have been unable to find any specimens of the ctenophore. 
Indeed, Fewkes appears to have found specimens of Leucothea in Florida 
waters which lacked these yellow areas and were quite transparent. 
Some specimens of Folia at Tortugas have yellow spots at the ends of 
the long axis of the body, while others are wholly transparent. In Cestum 
amphitrites from the Pacific there are, according to the figures of Mertens, 
1833, and Bigelow, 1904, yellow spots at the tips of the long axis of the 
body. (See Cestum pectenalis, Bigelow, 1904, Bull. Museum Comp. Zool. 
