EASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. 



15 



ActinidjE, including as sub-families Phyllactince, Antheadce, Bunodidce, Sagartiadm, and Acti- 

 nince of Gosse ; Ilyanthid^ ; Cerianthidte ; and ZoantiiidtE. 



Kepresentatives of all these except the first two are found on our coast. 



Family Actinid^e. 



Form in expansion more or less cylindrical, rising from a broadly expanded, basal 

 disk, which is usually wider than the column, adherent, muscular, and used in locomo- 

 tion. The tentacles are simple, numerous, in several rows near the margin. 



This group includes several well-marked divisions which appear to have the rank 

 of sub-families, viz : Actinince, in which the body is contractile ; the walls either smooth 

 or papillose, apparently imperforate ; a row of colored vesicles surrounds the margin at 

 the base of the tentacles, corresponding in position to the eye-specks of other radiates : 1 

 Bunodidce, having large tentacles ; the body rather short, moderately contractile ; the 

 walls covered with vertical rows of papillae, corresponding to each spheromere ; the 

 upper vesicle of some of the rows usually larger than the others, and homologous with 

 the colored ones of the preceding group : Ph/jllactince, in which the uppermost vesicles 

 are developed into lobed, adhesive, or tentacle-like organs : Sagartiadce, having an elon- 

 gated, very contractile column, the walls perforated with special openings (cinelides 

 Gosse) through which are thrown out thread-like, offensive organs (acontia) ; the exte- 

 rior frequently covered by adhesive suckers, but not often with prominent papillae : 

 Antheadce, with long cylindrical tentacles not capable of being contracted within the 

 body, owing to the rudimentary condition of the muscular system of the lamellae ; the 

 walls are without appendages of any kind. 



All these sub-families except Actinince, are found within our limits, and comprise the 

 majority of the polyps living on this coast. 



Sub-family Bunodidce. 



Aciinines verruqueuses Milne-Edwards, Coralliaires (1857). Family Bunodidce Gosse, Ann. 

 and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 3d series, i. p. 417 (1858); Actinologia Britannica (1860). 



Genus Bunodes Gosse. 



Actinia (pars) Linnaeus, Cuvier, Lamarck, Dana. Cribrina (pars) Ehrenberg (1834). 

 Bunodes Gosse, Trans. Linn. Soc, xxi. p. 274 (1855); Observations on Actiniada?, Ann. 

 and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 2d series, xvi. p. 294 (1855). Cereus (pars) Milne-Edwards, Co- 

 ralliaires (1857) (non Oken). 



Column elongated, subcylindrical in expansion, hemispherical in contraction ; walls firm, 

 with numerous prominent papillae arranged in vertical lines corresponding to the cham- 

 bers within, the uppermost, marginal ones larger than the rest, generally distended, and 

 diaphanous, the others capable of adhering strongly to foreign bodies. Tentacles well 

 developed, large, subcylindrical, not very numerous, perforated at the tips. Lamellae 

 (in B. cavcrnata) broad throughout their whole length, nearly uniformly thickened with 



1 Actinia primula Drayton (Dana, Zoophytes) pi. 2, f. 12-15, belongs to this division, and appears also to have acontia. 



