IO 
since there are more facts available now, I am of opinion that I am right in modifying some 
points in Schultze’s system, that until now has been followed by the other authors in their 
descriptions. 
In the first place the division in Dodekamerota, etc. comes under closer consideration. 
Without doubt it is true that the mesenteries, as much as the rest of the anatomical structure, 
form a more solid foundation for the systematic classification than the external characteristics, 
but in my opinion Schultze has given too large a systematic value to the number of mesen¬ 
teries. According to Brook the polyps of Leiopathes glaberrima contain three pair of secondary 
mesenteries besides the three pair of primary ones ; the other Leiopathes species have never 
been examined at this point since the material was unavailable. After Brook, Roule i. a. (14) 
mentioned the existence of this extra-pair of secondary mesenteries, but also by the same 
species. Both authors declare explicitly that the third pair lies in a very regular way one on 
each side of the actinopharynx. Von Koch (2) also observed these important secondary mesen¬ 
teries; in the description of Antipathes glaberrima Esper, whose identity with Leiopathes 
glaberrima is evident, von Koci-i says (pg. 196): “Der innere Bau stimmt im Grossen und 
Ganzen mit dem der Gattungs-Verwandten liberein, jedoch fand ich fast bei der Halfte der 
genauer untersuchten Exemplare eine merkwiirdige Abweichung hinsichtlich der Zahl der Parietes. 
\ on diesen waren namlich, statt wie gewohnlich in jeder Halfte 4 kleinere, hier in der einen 4, 
in der anderen Halfte aber 6 kleinere Scheidewande vorhanden, also mit den Qrossen zusammen 12”. 
In the descriptive part of the introduction he remarks (pg. 189) about this question : 
u Bei einer Anzahl von Polypen von Antipathes glaberrima konnte ich neben den eben 
beschriebenen Scheidewanden noch zwei weitere nachweisen, die zwischen je einer grossen und 
einer kleinen stehen, aber merkwiirdigerweise an alien von mir in Querschnitte zerlegten Exem- 
plaren nur auf eine Seite beschrankt sind (vgl. big. 2). Wenn sie symmetrisch auftraten, was 
bei einzelnen Polypen als sehr wahrscheinlich vorausgesetzt werden kann, so wiirde die Gesamt- 
zahl der Parietes bei A. glaberrima auf 14 steigen”. In figure 2 he mentions, von Koch 
schematized this secondary mesenteries. In this von Koch starts from the supposition that the 
mesenteries are arranged symmetrically in pairs with respect to the sagittal axis, which he sup¬ 
poses to be perpendicular on the direction of the actinopharynx, and therefore coinciding with the 
length-axis of the colony. 1 his is in defiance of Brook’s system of axes, who was of opinion 
that this direction was the transversal axis and supposed that the long axis of the actino¬ 
pharynx was the direction of the sagittalaxis. Schultze says emphatically (6) that he only retains 
Brook’s denomination of the axes as he will cause no confusion, but that he thinks right the 
axis-denomination according to von Koch ; after a more ample consideration of this question 
he says: u Die Sagittal-Ebene der Antipatharien-Person wiirde dann senkrecht zur Langsrichtung 
des abgeplatteten Schlundrohres orientiert sein”. After Schultze’s own opinion the third pair 
of secondary mesenteries would have a very singular unilateral site and anyway the Dodeka¬ 
merota should have been better called Tettareskaidekamerota. On ground of the musclesystem 
of the mesenteries, found by various Antipatharian species, I deem the axis-denomination after 
Brook more correct than that after Schultze-von Koch and in this case the objection to the name 
can be left out of the question since there are six complete pairs of mesenteries. 
