63 
PRELIMINARY PAPER on a COLLECTION of 
SIMPLE ASCIDIANS from AUSTRALIAN SEAS. 
By Fanny D. PALETHORPE AND CHARLOTTE WILSON, 
With Plate VIII. 
[Read 28rd April, 1887.] 
THE present collection of Ascidians was exhibited, on 
behalf of the Australian Museum, Sydney, at the Fisheries 
Exhibition, London, in 1883, and was afterwards sent to 
Professor Herdman to be examined and worked up. The 
collection then lay for a couple of years in the Zoological 
Laboratory of University College, Liverpool. During the 
summer of 1886, when working as advanced students in 
the Laboratory, we commenced the examination of the 
specimens, under Professor Herdman’s superintendence, 
and during the present summer one of us has been engaged 
in carrying on the work. 
The Australian seas are known to contain a rich Ascidian 
fauna—over fifty species of Simple Ascidians having 
already been described from that region. They represent 
three out of the four known families, namely, the Cynthide, 
the Molgulide, and the Ascidude. So far, no specimens 
of Social Ascidians belonging to the fourth family— 
Clavelinide—have been described from Australia. The 
discovery of twenty-four of these species was the result of 
the “‘Challenger’’ investigations.* The remainder have 
been described by various authors:—Heller, Stimpson, 
McDonald and others. 
This particular collection was found, on examination, to 
* See ‘‘ Zool. Chall. Exp.,” pt. xvii., 1882, 
