ON A FRESHWATER MEDUSA FROM RHODESIA. 429 
tary of the Zambesi shows that this remarkable genus must 
be a pretty constant constituent of the freshwater fauna of 
tropical Africa, occurring as it does in the four principal 
river systems of that continent. 
Limnocnida may even have a wide distribution outside 
Africa, for Dr. Annandale, in a recent letter to ‘ Nature’ ( 13 ), 
announces the discovery of a similar medusa in India. A 
number of jelly-fish were obtained by Mr. S. P. Agharkar 
from small streams in the Western Ghat, these streams 
belonging to a river system which flows across the Indian 
Peninsula and reaches the sea more than 500 miles away on 
the shores of the Bay of Bengal. Dr. Annandale writes : 
“In the structure of the manubrium and digestive system, 
the position of the gonads, the structure of the tentacles and 
the form of the umbrella these medusm agree precisely with 
Limnocnida tanganyicae. As regards generic identity 
there can, indeed, be no doubt, and there is nothing in the 
specimens before me to suggest even a specific difference. 
They are not, however, in a particularly good state of preser- 
vation, having suffered somewhat in the post, and the ques- 
tion of specific identity may be left unanswered until after 
an examination of fresh specimens which I anticipate no 
difficulty in obtaining at a suitable season.” 
The medusae from Rhodesia present a few peculiarities by 
means of which they can be easily distinguished from 
L. tanganicae, and it is my intention to describe them as 
belonging to a distinct species under the name of Limnoc- 
nida rhodesiae sp. n. 
The specimens which I have examined differed from one 
another both in size and in the degree of contraction of the 
bell. I, therefore, find it convenient to describe the four 
individuals separately. 
The most complete of the four medusae before me was 
obtained by Mr. Thomas in December, 1908 ; its general 
appearance is very similar to that of the Tanganyika species, 
the bell having the characteristic flattened shape which one 
associates with the genus. 
VOL. 57, PART 4. NEW SEKIES. 
32 
