250 BRETNALL, 



refers to the description of the living colony supplied by the collector after whom 

 the species was named. "The zoarium (or coenoecium of Allman) that is the whole 

 colony stock, consists of an oval patch of stiff, gelatinous hyaline substance (i. 1. 

 2) about two indies and a half inches long, by one and a quarter inches broad* and 

 about an eighth of an inch thick, with branching- tubular channels radiating from 

 the centre, which were tenanted by numerous polypides. The polypides pro- 

 truded all around the edge, and on the surface of the gelatinous eetocyst, leaving 

 however a central oval space quite free of them." 



From this data, and from the material at my disposal. I conclude that '.hat 

 Annandale has intended to convey is. that the polypides do not communicate one 

 with the other; and further that their origin is not from the gelatinous base, there- 

 fore a compound colony is not formed. This, indeed, is the case, but since the 

 polyparia do form a colony, his key and diagnosis are amended accordingly. 



4. Diagnosis. 



Zoarium consists of a circular or oval mass of no great size. 



Polyparia forming colonies of 5 to 25 united to, but not intercommunicating 

 via a gelatinous base, on which the colony is capable of movement. 



Polypides lying semi-recumbent in the mass, and seldom standing upright in 

 n vertical position. 



Statoblasts of considerable size, compared to the size of the polyparium. and 

 normally bearing at either pole a series of from 5 to 9 chitinous processes, armed 

 with a series of small incurved hooks. 



5. Key, 



Order : Phylactolaemata. 



Division : Plumatellina. 



Family : Plumatellidae. 



Sub-family : Lophopinae. 



Statoblasts armed normally with honked processes. 



A. Processes confined to the extremity of the statoblasts; zoaria a circular 



or oval mass of no great size; polyparia forming colonies of from 5 to 

 25 united to. but not intercommunicating via, a gelatinous base . . . . 



Lophopodella 



B. Processes entirely surrounding the statoblasts; many zoaria embedded in 



a common gelatinous base to form large compound colonies 



Pectinatella 

 G. Lophnpodella pictaf sp. rwv. 



Zoarium. A mass of from 5 to 25 polyparia, appearing to the naked eye like 

 a mass of frog's spawn, united to a hyaline, gelatinous mass, on which the whole is 

 capable of movement. 



Zooecium. Hyaline and regularly papillose. 



Polypide. From 50 to GO tentacles are borne on a bright yellow lopho- 

 phore; the muscles show as a brighter yellow; the stomach is green in colour, 

 and the rectum, charged with excretum, blue. The extended part of the poly- 

 pide averages .GO mm. in length, and the tentacles .35 in length. 



Statoblast. The statoblast is elongate oval in shape, measuring on an aver- 

 age .50 mm. in length by .35 mm. in breadth. The capsule is large compared to 

 the swim-ring, it averaging .10 mm. in diameter, and the swim-ring .07 mm. 

 Either pole bears a series of from 4 to f) chitinous processes of irregular size, the 



fi. Having reference to the bright colouring of the polypide. 



