54 CTENOPHORES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA 
Moser, 1903 (Ctenophoren der Siboga-Expedition, pp. 23, 24), has 
described and figured two closely related varieties of Beroé, one of which, 
B. pandora, she believes to be identical with Pandora flemingit Esch- 
scholtz, 1829 (Syst. der Acalephen, p. 39, Taf. 2, Fig. 7). In both of 
these forms the 4 subventral rows of combs are longer than the sub- 
tentacular (she reverses the accepted usage of these terms in her de- 
scription) instead of all 8 rows being of equal length. I doubt whether 
this is a valid specific distinction, for I have noticed a certain intergrading 
tendency of young individuals of B. ovata to have relatively short sub- 
tentacular rows of combs. Such an individual obtained from a swarm 
of normal B. ovata, with all 8 rows of equal length each to each, is shown 
in fig. 74, plate 16. When full grown I believe the 8 rows are always. 
practically equal in length each to each. 
The differences between B. pandora and B. pandorino are of such 
a character that I doubt their validity, bearing in mind the extreme 
variation in shape of body exhibited by ctenophores of the genus Beroé. 
Moser, 1908, redescribes this ctenophore from Japan under the name 
Pandora flemingit (see Abhandl. Akad., Munchen, 1908, Suppl. Bd. 1, 
Abhandl. 4, p. 32). 
There appear to be but two dominant species of Beroé: B. cucumis 
of cold water, and B. ovata of warm waters. B. forskali, B. pandora, etc., 
are probably only varieties of B. ovata. 
The pink color of the stellate pigment cells of the meridional canals 
does not appear until the young B. cucumis is about 25 mm. long, and 
after the side branches have grown out from the sides of the meridional 
vessels. When young the animal is transparent with a faint yellowish 
tinge to the canal-system. The side branches do not begin to develop 
until the animal is r9 mm. long. When about 23 mm. long it begins to 
lose its transparency, and to assume the translucent milky hue of the 
adult. 
The young Beroé cucumis devours Pleurobrachia pileus with avidity. 
At Halifax, Nova Scotia, in September when the harbor water 
ranges from 13° to 15° C., B. cucumts is most active if heated to about 
18° C., and dies at a temperature between 27.8° and 29.8°C. It would 
seem therefore that B. cucumis could not survive in the surface waters 
of the tropics. 
